Review of Audition by Katie Kitamura

*Audition* by Katie Kitamura (2025). Published by Riverhead Books.

If you’re new here, and stumbled upon this blog through the mythical powers of the Internet, welcome! I know a lot of visitors to my website are people who randomly come upon this website through search engines like Google, but I also do have a lot of visitors who come back. Regardless: my name is Ashley, and I started this blog in order to keep track of everything I’m coming across in the world.

I recently fell into a spell of unemployment probably during the worst time to be unemployed, as it was very hard to find a job. I was applying to hundreds of jobs, getting interviews, but no offer was manifesting for me in the near future. So during this time, I had a lot of free time, and spent a good chunk of it chipping away at the blog.

As a book blogger, something I’ve always been super clear about and dedicated towards promoting are local libraries. I know having access to a good library is a privilege, and there are countries where people don’t really have access to books at all. I am so grateful every day that I have access to a decent library system, especially in today’s world.

I go to the library almost every week and check out all the new arrivals and anything that catches my eye among the regular fiction and nonfiction shelves. Today, for this blog post, the book I’m writing about I actually requested and had shipped to my library, as they didn’t have a copy.

I’ve always heard about Kitamura’s work, but never got around to reading it. Something I also realized working as a critic and blogger was that when I sit down and figure out what I’ve read and watched throughout the years, I have so many books, movies, and shows that I’ve simply been meaning to watch. I used to be so excited when they came out and whatnot, but then I never get to them.

Today was the day I changed that for Audition. I thought it would be up my alley because of the synopsis, and the fact I’m such a sucker for novels set in New York City that also feature creative people. When I see novels that fit those criteria, I tend to pick them up and give them a chance.

Anyways, this is a fairly short book, so I finished it in under an hour and a half. I did have to reread certain sections to clarify what exactly what going on though.

Let’s get into the review! I’m rambling a little bit already.

As an actress prepares to perform in a New York City play, she meets a young man of significance.

Our protagonist in this play is someone who’s fairly successful on the stage. She’s an actress who has become well respected in the industry, and at the time this novel is set inside of, she’s preparing to return to the stage in a new play. They’re currently in the rehearsal process, which is discussed here and there throughout the book.

This isn’t the focus of the book entirely though. In the first section of the narrative, she’s coming to lunch at a New York City establishment to meet with a young man. At first, we have no idea who this guy is, although she does see someone she is quite familiar with while they’re dining and chatting.

The conversation and internal monologue that the actress has is the core part of the novel’s first section. The man she’s meeting is very young, and we don’t know their connection. The immediate assumption is that they have a romantic relationship, and anyone probably looking at them in this moment is also probably assuming that because of how they’re acting.

This can be a spoiler, but it is mentioned in the synopsis. Read ahead at your own risk.

We learn in the second part of the novel, which takes place after the dreaded dinner/lunch conversation, about who exactly he becomes for her. That’s when their roles shift in the role. The actress, her husband, and the young man are all now living in her home together. In the first act, it’s implied she was cheating on her husband, but now the roles are reversed in that way.

They believe him to be their son, and now they’re putting on a different kind of performance in their own lives. The two act structure of the novel mimics a play, as does the writing itself (with the specific scenes set), so when we pivot the only grounding part is the play she’s in. We never actually do learn what this play is about, although that might’ve been redundant in the grand scheme of things.

Lots to unpack beyond what I’ve typed out here, especially considering how this novel explores the themes that emerge throughout its brief storyline. Kitamura is a brilliant writer, although this can be a dense novel to get through if you’re not used to this kind of work.

Overall Thoughts

To continue off of the previous paragraph in the last section: I am not used to this kind of work, although I’ve read a lot in my lifetime. This was a bit harder for me to get through because of that, and I could see some readers struggling with the writing style and how Kitamura structured this novel.

I understood everything once I reread certain sections, but while I enjoyed the writing style, I just didn’t know if this was a story that sucked me in personally. I tend to know what kind of writing I like, and this was a story that didn’t click with me even after I took the time to understand its nuances.

For me, I would’ve probably been happy without the young man/son plot line and would’ve wanted to read more about an actress struggling to find her character and lines in a chaotic city. Which is kind of what we got in this novel, but not to the extent I would’ve wanted to see it.

I could see how others would really love this novel though! Pick it up if it interests you and give it a chance. Taste is incredibly subjective, especially when it comes to literature and movies. What I might love could be the worst thing you ever read.

Follow me below on Instagram, Goodreads, and Letterboxd for more.