Yes, Yes

A speculative page-turner about a struggling author whose desperate attempt to fix his narcissistic mother’s debilitating depression leads to dire consequences.

If Emma Cline wrote Severance, it would look a lot like this debut, perfect for fans of Jennifer Egan, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Mona Awad.

As the only son of Maria Bailey, famous former CEO and textbook narcissist, Kai Bailey has always struggled to break free from his mother’s relentless control. When Maria retires, she spirals into a depression that no amount of therapy or prescriptions have been able to solve, intensifying her emotional abuse when she moves in with Kai and his girlfriend, Emma, in their tiny Manhattan apartment.

When Emma finally has enough and moves out, Kai desperately searches for a quick fix for his mother. Enter Dr. Findlay, a mysterious neurosurgeon with a technique that can remove all negative emotions, leaving behind only unbridled happiness. Though it seems too good to be true, Kai is out of options, and to his surprise, Maria is on board.

Post-surgery, a life without the “bad” emotions seems to fix all of Maria’s problems. She’s no longer crying through the night. She doesn’t fly into a fit of rage when Kai finally asks her to move out. She is actually . . . pleasant to be around. But she also doesn’t experience shame. Or regret. Or guilt. When the consequences of Maria’s happiness take a dark, shocking turn, Kai is left to pick up the pieces and grapple with the destruction his mother left in her wake—both pre- and post-surgery.