Nominated for the Skroutz Book Awards 2025.
Athena Liu and June Hayward embark on their writing careers together after graduating from Yale University. However, the Asian-American Athena is a rising star; readers adore her and critics praise her, in contrast to the white June, whose mediocre first novel goes completely unnoticed.
When Athena literally chokes to death in front of June’s astonished eyes, June does the unthinkable: she steals the manuscript of her friend’s new, masterful novel, an experimental work about the overlooked contribution of Chinese workers during World War I. What if she edited Athena’s text and sent it to her agent as her own? What if she let her new publisher reintroduce her to the reading public as Juniper Song, blurring the lines about her origins?
Isn’t the most important thing for this entirely unknown piece of world history to come to light, regardless of who is named as the narrator? The Last Front is published under June’s name, hailed by all as a contemporary literary masterpiece, and triumphantly enters the New York Times bestseller list. June, however, cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and the evidence that comes to light threatens to destroy her stolen success. As she struggles to keep her secret, she discovers just how far she is willing to go to maintain the glory and recognition she believes she deserves.
