On paper, Jade has it all: a successful law career, the daughter who has made her parents proud, a great boyfriend from an affluent family, and a small but solid circle of girlfriends. Then one work night out throws everything into a downward spiral as she wakes up with no idea how she got home, and a growing dread that something bad has happened. Exploring the relationships, both personal and professional, around her as she begins to slowly piece this puzzle together, Jaded by Ela Lee is a novel that addresses myriad important and difficult themes: issues of consent and assault; sexism, manipulation and abuse of power in the workplace; racism hidden in plain view, and approaches to EDI in the workplace; the damaging culture of our times when overworking is viewed as dedication, and the sacrifices and compromises sometimes expected to get to the top; questions of privilege, entitlement, identity, conformity and authenticity to oneself; and the experiences of first and second generation immigrants, including having dual culture heritage. Sounds like a lot but in Lee’s hands it isn’t, she weaves it all together in this compulsive read.

This was a novel that got stronger and picked up pace as it progressed. We are deeply drawn into Jade’s journey of recovery and self-discovery as she goes through the many stages a person might go through after a traumatic experience – including fear, self-doubt and anger – and begins to question if she was ever as happy in her life as she thought she was. The writing is raw and visceral, exploring both the physical and psychological sides of trauma. What I enjoyed most was the parts exploring Jade’s relationship with her Turkish and Korean parents; first generation immigrants who want the best for their child, not always understanding her decisions or seeing eye-to-eye, but who remain such a solid presence in her life and ensure that the culture, the traditions and rituals of her heritage remain a part of her life; something which ultimately brings her great comfort. This is a strong debut, and would be a great read for book clubs/buddy reads with so many pressing, albeit difficult, themes to discuss.

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Jaded is published by Vintage on February 8th. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC.

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Ela Lee is a London-based author. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and previously practised as a City lawyer. During the pandemic, Ela decided to focus on her love of writing and began work on her debut novel, Jaded, that explores themes of consent, race, and identity.