What You Make of Me

What You Make of Me by Sophie Madeline Dess

A mesmerizing debut that explores the emotional and artistic rivalry between a brother and sister haunted by their past—and forced to confront what they’re willing to sacrifice for their art.

"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, New York Times bestselling author of The Ask and No One Left to Come Looking for You

Demetri and Ava have always been inseparable yet competitive, their relationship a web of intense emotional ties. Ava, fierce and passionate, has lived in the shadow of her brother Demetri, whose charm and intellect once overshadowed her own. But after a devastating event turns Demetri’s life upside down, it is Ava who carries on unaffected, her drive to succeed in art propelling her forward. As Ava rises to fame, Demetri, struggling with grief and creative paralysis, begins to make her his subject.

When Nati, an enigmatic Italian gallery owner, arrives in New York, the siblings are drawn to her—but when they both fall for her, Nati refuses to be a pawn in their game. As the lines between love, obsession, and art blur, Demetri and Ava are forced to face the cost of their connection and what they are willing to sacrifice for their careers and their bond.

Intense, provocative, and laced with dark humor, What You Make of Me raises questions about the cost of art, the complexities of sibling love, and the painful boundaries between creation and destruction.