Start / NPR’s Book of the Day / In julie chan is dead former influencer liann zhang takes a swipe at the industry

NPR’s Book of the Day

In 'Julie Chan Is Dead,' former influencer Liann Zhang takes a swipe at the industry

8 min • 13 maj 2025
Julie Chan has an average life working as a cashier at a grocery store. But she's constantly getting mistaken for a famous influencer, her estranged identical twin Chloe. One day, Julie receives a mysterious phone call that results in her decision to swap lives with her sister, adopting Chloe's followers and the glamorous lifestyle that comes with them. That's the setup of Liann Zhang's debut novel, Julie Chan Is Dead. In today's episode, Zhang talks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the author's own experience as a teenage "skinfluencer" – and Zhang's views on influencer culture today.

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