Immaculate Conception

‘Huang’s Immaculate Conception is unlike anything else I’ve read this year... a heartfelt love letter to art, and a superb work of fiction’ New York Times

A portrait of companionship – achingly tender and twisted – that captures the tenuous line between love and possession.

Mathilde is a dizzyingly talented, tortured artist whose star is on the rise – and Enka, struggling to create art that feels original, is immediately drawn to her.

The two strike up a close friendship, but when Mathilde’s fame reaches new heights, her work becoming more and more extreme, Enka becomes desperate to keep her close – no matter the cost.

Enka falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family'''s company is funding new technology purported to enhance empathy, and which could allow someone else to inhabit Mathilde’s mind and absorb the trauma infecting her brain.

But as their codependency deepens, the boundaries between Mathilde and Enka begin to blur, setting in motion a haunting series of events that will forever change their lives.

Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and eerily timely, Immaculate Conception deftly navigates big questions of art, technology, authorship, and what makes us human. Its answers will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

Special Collector’s Edition WHILE STOCKS LAST. First UK print run features stunning paperback design, demy with flaps, with soft touch cover.

Praise for Immaculate Conception

‘Huang’s brilliant, imaginative, and ambitious novel gripped me from beginning to end. I loved every moment of it’ Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

‘Huang, the real-life genius holding the palette, deftly weaves competition, longing, fantastical technology, and gobsmacking imagery into an unforgettable tale... utterly gripping: an immersive, transformative read’ Sierra Greer, author of Annie Bot

''Immaculate Conception radiates with imagination. A thrilling tale about art’s awesome power, about profound friendship, and how both destroy as well as build. Surprising at every turn, Ling Ling Huang has created an unforgettable novel’ Gerardo Sámano Córdova, author of Monstrillo

‘Huang’s latest is a hit’ Elle


Genre: Horror

"In Ling Ling Huang's Immaculate Conception, all-too-plausible exploitative, extractive technologies force new questions about who is allowed to make great art and who gets denied the same shot - and about what price some might pay to reclaim what they've been denied. A gorgeous and frequently shocking novel, whose dark, envy-driven obsessions will quickly become your own." - Matt Bell

"In Huang's Immaculate Conception, the desire to be close to the flame of genius leads to catastrophic obsession. Huang, the real-life genius holding the palette, deftly weaves competition, longing, fantastical technology, and gobsmacking imagery into an unforgettable tale. I found this portrait of artist friends utterly gripping: an immersive, transformative read, just the way true art should be." - Sierra Greer

"Huang's brilliant, imaginative, and ambitious novel about an obsessive friendship between two artists gripped me from beginning to end. Immaculate Conception is dark but, at the same time, filled with tenderness. I loved every moment of it." - Monika Kim

"Immaculate Conception is one of those twisty, nail-biting books you fall into and don't emerge from until you're done. I loved it." - Kelly Link