21,000+ Reviews
Bookshop.org has the highest-rated customer service of any bookstore in the world
Description
"In the face of tragedy, Dess’s narrator memorably dramatizes the anxiety-inducing exigencies of the creative arts, and the need of artists to remain focussed on their craft." —The New Yorker
“Ms. Dess shrewdly explores the intersections between intimacy and possession.” —The Wall Street Journal
In this mesmerizing debut from a bright new talent, two enigmatic and unforgettable siblings confront what – and who – they’re willing to sacrifice for their art
On the eve of her first solo show, Ava is feeling defiant. The art gallery acolytes have insisted on writing “explanations” of her paintings for an accompanying catalog, but what do they know of her work? What do they know of her brother, Demetri, whose face echoes across every canvas?
After all, Ava and Demetri have only ever had each other. Abandoned first by their mother, who drowned in the Long Island Sound, and then again by their father, who couldn’t see beyond his grief, each sibling has always been the other’s most ardent supporter: Demetri encouraged Ava’s raw talent as a painter, while Ava pushed Demetri to pursue filmmaking. But as they make their way in New York, the codependency that once sustained them soon threatens to be their undoing. Betrayals mount, fueled by Ava’s reckless acts and her disdain for Demetri’s last-ditch efforts to make something of consequence, but what ultimately and irreversibly tips the scales won’t be found on canvas or film. Because now, at thirty-one, Demetri is dying.
As Ava reckons with the meaning of her portraits, what soon emerges from her intimate, offhanded, and mischievous meditations is a stunning and unsettling confession of secrets, epiphanies, rivalry, and infidelity. Vaulting between childhood and the days leading up to Demetri’s death, here is a searing portrait of two remarkable siblings reckoning with the limits of loyalty. Heralding the arrival of an impressive new talent, What You Make of Me lays bare the thin line between success and sacrifice.
“Ms. Dess shrewdly explores the intersections between intimacy and possession.” —The Wall Street Journal
In this mesmerizing debut from a bright new talent, two enigmatic and unforgettable siblings confront what – and who – they’re willing to sacrifice for their art
On the eve of her first solo show, Ava is feeling defiant. The art gallery acolytes have insisted on writing “explanations” of her paintings for an accompanying catalog, but what do they know of her work? What do they know of her brother, Demetri, whose face echoes across every canvas?
After all, Ava and Demetri have only ever had each other. Abandoned first by their mother, who drowned in the Long Island Sound, and then again by their father, who couldn’t see beyond his grief, each sibling has always been the other’s most ardent supporter: Demetri encouraged Ava’s raw talent as a painter, while Ava pushed Demetri to pursue filmmaking. But as they make their way in New York, the codependency that once sustained them soon threatens to be their undoing. Betrayals mount, fueled by Ava’s reckless acts and her disdain for Demetri’s last-ditch efforts to make something of consequence, but what ultimately and irreversibly tips the scales won’t be found on canvas or film. Because now, at thirty-one, Demetri is dying.
As Ava reckons with the meaning of her portraits, what soon emerges from her intimate, offhanded, and mischievous meditations is a stunning and unsettling confession of secrets, epiphanies, rivalry, and infidelity. Vaulting between childhood and the days leading up to Demetri’s death, here is a searing portrait of two remarkable siblings reckoning with the limits of loyalty. Heralding the arrival of an impressive new talent, What You Make of Me lays bare the thin line between success and sacrifice.
Product Details
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
| Publish Date | February 25, 2025 |
| Pages | 288 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780593830826 |
| Dimensions | 8.6 X 5.8 X 1.0 inches | 0.8 pounds |
About the Author
Sophie Madeline Dess is a writer and critic living in New York, New York. Her short fiction and essays can be found in The Paris Review, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Drift, and elsewhere. She teaches at Columbia University and Parsons School of Design. What You Make of Me is her debut novel.
Reviews
“What You Make of Me’s poignant prose and reflective narrative dives headfirst into the complexity of identity, vulnerability, and the sense of reckless abandonment that plagues artistic siblings, Ava and Demetri.” —Condé Nast Traveler
“In the face of tragedy, Dess’s narrator memorably dramatizes the anxiety-inducing exigencies of the creative arts, and the need of artists to remain focused on their craft.” —The New Yorker
“Extraordinary . . . Despite the raw candor Ava seems incapable of hiding, readers will doubt her . . . But they will not question the energy coursing through What You Make of Me nor the undeniable talent that created it. This is a fierce and unapologetic debut from a writer to watch.” —Shelf Awareness
“Really written (as T. S. Eliot, decades ago, said most fiction is not—as true then as now), with a propulsiveness to the language that I have since encountered in others of Dess’s stories, it was so in an elliptical way, sustaining but not occupying the center of attention. It was wild, finely tuned, and, above all: enigmatic . . . The sense you get is one of sleight-of-hand. The magician’s patter is one thing, but the real action is hiding in plain sight . . . What You Make of Me inhabits the magic circle of childhood, with its limited cast of characters that no outside force can penetrate . . . As in the portraits that compose it, and in Ava’s erratic career, there is tremendous energy in this novel.” —Real Clear Books
“There is no club more exclusive than that of brilliant, close-knit siblings, and Ms. Dess’s challenge is to ensure that readers aren’t also excluded from her characters’ particular mind meld. She does this by focusing on the ruptures that drive them apart, partly in the person of a chic gallery owner who becomes a love interest to both . . . In the juxtaposition of Ava’s paintings with her memories, Ms. Dess shrewdly explores the intersections between intimacy and possession.” —The Wall Street Journal
“In What You Make of Me, [Dess] has written not only a very good novel about painting but also a believable painter’s novel . . . What You Make of Me is a dialectical novel, the story of an artist working through a creative divergence to move herself forward. Demetri represents Dess’s worst fears about being a critic, Ava her worst fears about what it might mean to be an artist, and their synthesis is the exciting young author who wrote this novel.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“A compelling story of a sibling relationship bonded by trauma, art, and their charmingly alien approach to socializing in New York City. The writing in What You Make of Me sold me on the story: it is unmooring, odd, and thoroughly engaging . . . [T]here is a fantastical edge to how Ava’s narration sees being a young, promising artist . . . It’s evocative and surprising, and made me wish I could go to the opening. Comms managers at galleries, take note!” —Artnet
“My first impression of What You Make of Me was that [Dess] has an eye for the visual. I shouldn’t have been surprised, of course . . . Dess’s critical voice combines meticulous art history knowledge with singular insights. In her fiction, this visual acuity transforms, becoming daring, luscious, and occasionally sacrilegious . . . She possesses the rare talent to shift between styles and voices, challenging readers intellectually while sometimes making them blush—often accomplishing both at once . . . What You Make of Me unfolds at an engaging pace, with energetic twists and wonderfully perverse characters . . . Dess masterfully depicts crowded rooms with their inevitable politics of artistic gatherings (woe betide us), the unsettling experiences of desire, and the destabilizing yet consuming nature of creation itself.” —BOMB
“A brother and sister’s artistic rivalry intensifies when they fall for the same woman in Dess’s electrifying debut . . . Dess harnesses her characters’ feelings of sorrow and dread as their bond unravels, and she skillfully untangles the complexities of their all-consuming relationship while offering keen insights into the pressures they face as artists, both from others and from within. It’s a tour de force.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] soulful debut . . . A haunting . . . exploration of the weight of guilt’s millstone and the power of forgiveness.” —Booklist
“Speckled and wondrous and strange and fun–What You Make of Me reveals to us the transformations of thoughts, of art, of love. A marvel of a novel.” —Rivka Galchen, author of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch
“What You Make of Me is a stunning novel of art, love, memory and death written with exquisite wit and deep feeling. Sophie Madeline Dess has conjured one of the most unique and heartbreaking family narratives in recent memory, and with her rendering of the dynamic between Ava and Demetri, she’s given us a sibling duo for the ages.” —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask and No One Left to Come Looking for You
“Sophie Madeline Dess may be the freshest debut in this year’s literature. What You Make of Me is a brilliant novel as well as a provocation to all great readers.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends
“In the face of tragedy, Dess’s narrator memorably dramatizes the anxiety-inducing exigencies of the creative arts, and the need of artists to remain focused on their craft.” —The New Yorker
“Extraordinary . . . Despite the raw candor Ava seems incapable of hiding, readers will doubt her . . . But they will not question the energy coursing through What You Make of Me nor the undeniable talent that created it. This is a fierce and unapologetic debut from a writer to watch.” —Shelf Awareness
“Really written (as T. S. Eliot, decades ago, said most fiction is not—as true then as now), with a propulsiveness to the language that I have since encountered in others of Dess’s stories, it was so in an elliptical way, sustaining but not occupying the center of attention. It was wild, finely tuned, and, above all: enigmatic . . . The sense you get is one of sleight-of-hand. The magician’s patter is one thing, but the real action is hiding in plain sight . . . What You Make of Me inhabits the magic circle of childhood, with its limited cast of characters that no outside force can penetrate . . . As in the portraits that compose it, and in Ava’s erratic career, there is tremendous energy in this novel.” —Real Clear Books
“There is no club more exclusive than that of brilliant, close-knit siblings, and Ms. Dess’s challenge is to ensure that readers aren’t also excluded from her characters’ particular mind meld. She does this by focusing on the ruptures that drive them apart, partly in the person of a chic gallery owner who becomes a love interest to both . . . In the juxtaposition of Ava’s paintings with her memories, Ms. Dess shrewdly explores the intersections between intimacy and possession.” —The Wall Street Journal
“In What You Make of Me, [Dess] has written not only a very good novel about painting but also a believable painter’s novel . . . What You Make of Me is a dialectical novel, the story of an artist working through a creative divergence to move herself forward. Demetri represents Dess’s worst fears about being a critic, Ava her worst fears about what it might mean to be an artist, and their synthesis is the exciting young author who wrote this novel.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“A compelling story of a sibling relationship bonded by trauma, art, and their charmingly alien approach to socializing in New York City. The writing in What You Make of Me sold me on the story: it is unmooring, odd, and thoroughly engaging . . . [T]here is a fantastical edge to how Ava’s narration sees being a young, promising artist . . . It’s evocative and surprising, and made me wish I could go to the opening. Comms managers at galleries, take note!” —Artnet
“My first impression of What You Make of Me was that [Dess] has an eye for the visual. I shouldn’t have been surprised, of course . . . Dess’s critical voice combines meticulous art history knowledge with singular insights. In her fiction, this visual acuity transforms, becoming daring, luscious, and occasionally sacrilegious . . . She possesses the rare talent to shift between styles and voices, challenging readers intellectually while sometimes making them blush—often accomplishing both at once . . . What You Make of Me unfolds at an engaging pace, with energetic twists and wonderfully perverse characters . . . Dess masterfully depicts crowded rooms with their inevitable politics of artistic gatherings (woe betide us), the unsettling experiences of desire, and the destabilizing yet consuming nature of creation itself.” —BOMB
“A brother and sister’s artistic rivalry intensifies when they fall for the same woman in Dess’s electrifying debut . . . Dess harnesses her characters’ feelings of sorrow and dread as their bond unravels, and she skillfully untangles the complexities of their all-consuming relationship while offering keen insights into the pressures they face as artists, both from others and from within. It’s a tour de force.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] soulful debut . . . A haunting . . . exploration of the weight of guilt’s millstone and the power of forgiveness.” —Booklist
“Speckled and wondrous and strange and fun–What You Make of Me reveals to us the transformations of thoughts, of art, of love. A marvel of a novel.” —Rivka Galchen, author of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch
“What You Make of Me is a stunning novel of art, love, memory and death written with exquisite wit and deep feeling. Sophie Madeline Dess has conjured one of the most unique and heartbreaking family narratives in recent memory, and with her rendering of the dynamic between Ava and Demetri, she’s given us a sibling duo for the ages.” —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask and No One Left to Come Looking for You
“Sophie Madeline Dess may be the freshest debut in this year’s literature. What You Make of Me is a brilliant novel as well as a provocation to all great readers.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
