Available at indiebound • Bookshop.org • barnes and noble • Amazon
Ballantine, Penguin Random House (US) •VIking, Penguin random house (UK)
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“Magnificent . . . With unblinking focus, confronts some of the darkest consequences of contemporary gender inequity.” —Booklist (starred review)
“This is an insightful, powerful story from a promising new voice . . . Cha navigates the obstacles of her characters’ lives with ease and heartbreaking realism.” —Publishers Weekly
Longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize
“A powerful and provocative rendering of contemporary South Korean society, one that might be considered bleak if not for the women themselves, who occasionally surprise with their compassion and bravery. At heart, “If I Had Your Face” is a novel about female strength, spirit, resilience — and the solace that friendship can sometimes provide.“ —The Washington Post
“The chapters alternate among the women, each one breathing new life into the old chestnut, “You never know what goes on behind closed doors.” At first you might make the mistake of thinking Cha’s story is all about wealth and plastic surgery and the pursuit of an impossible standard of beauty. But take a closer look and you’ll find the sisterhood at the heart of this ambitious book. It’s the scaffolding — and also, occasionally, the wrecking ball.” —The New York Times
“If I Had Your Face isn’t just a good book — it’s a book we need, badly. . . . If I Had Your Face brings many facets of Korean culture to light for an American audience . . . The vivid characters at the novel’s core make for a compelling read, and in a time of such global division, hopefully a uniting one. . . . [Cha] embedded pieces of herself in all four characters, each of whom exhibit a depth and complexity that allows the reader to forge a bond with them despite the singularity of their circumstances.” —InStyle
“Offers a gripping immersion into the lesser known sides of South Korean culture.” — CNN
“Poignant debut…Cha, a former travel and culture editor at CNN in Seoul, has a biting wit and an eye for absurd glitz, too…Ultimately, female friendship bolsters precarious fortunes in this gripping novel—compelling readers to consider what remains after beauty fades.” — Oprah Magazine
“Cha’s storytelling contains the most vivid construction of character and scene, giving Seoul itself a protagonistic presence too. If I Had Your Face is an endearing story of female friendship and camaraderie staged against a backdrop of elitism, sexism, the unspoken but thriving culture of salon rooms, and the relentless quest for cosmetic perfection… Not to mention a backstage pass to the world of K-pop.” — Vanity Fair (London)
“Frances Cha’s fascinating debut novel If I Had Your Face is just the ticket . . . Cha’s point is not to provide fairy tale endings but to suggest that nothing is more essential and life-affirming than the connections between women.” —Newsday
“Its focus on the tangled and complicated nature of female friendship is universally familiar and fascinating.” —Refinery29
“Make way for Frances Cha, an entrancing new voice who guides us into the complexities and contradictions of modern-day Seoul, a dissonant, neon world that is ripped open to bare the same universal and human challenges that face us all. I devoured the novel in a single sitting, and so will you.” —Janice Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher
“Each voice in this quartet cuts through the pages so cleanly and clearly that the overall effect is one of dangerously glittering harmony. The tale told here is as engrossing as a war chant, or a mosaic formed with blades, every piece a memento sharpened on those unyielding barriers between us and our ideal lives.” —Helen Oyeyemi, author of Gingerbread
“It’s difficult to believe that this is Frances Cha’s first novel—she’s a masterful storyteller. I was riveted reading about a world I knew nothing about, and from the first page, it was clear Cha was the best possible guide.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward
“Searing . . . Essential reading in what Jia Tolentino memorably called the age of Instagram face.”—Vogue (UK)
“[A] timely debut . . . Multifaceted portraits of working women in Seoul reveal the importance of female friendships amid inequality . . . Cha's empathetic portraits allow readers to see the impact of economic inequity, entrenched classism, and patriarchy on her hard-working characters' lives.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[It is Cha’s] meticulous, well-thought-out use of storylines that altogether assert there is no such thing as a modern-day Cinderella.”—The Korea Times
“With graceful precision, unflinching honesty, and intimate compassion, Frances Cha writes, in exacting detail, of the desperation and dreams of five young women in modern-day Korea. . . . A haunting novel of intelligence and sensitivity.”—Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of Rabbits for Food
“Few American novelists know Seoul the way Frances Cha does and in her intimate, panoramic debut, she brings that dazzling city to life. There are voices here you haven’t heard before. . . . An enthralling read from the very first page.”—Ed Park, author of Personal Days
“A provoking, ultimately inspiring tale of women pushing back against oppressive customs both traditional and new . . . Frances Cha, like her quartet of narrators, has a rebel’s heart.”—Jonathan Dee, author of The Locals
“Troubling, kaleidoscopic, and hugely enjoyable.”—Nell Zink, author of Mislaid
