If You Could See the Sun
Praise for If You Could See the Sun
“A thrilling ride that hooked me from start to finish. Ann Liang is a fantastic new voice in YA!”
—Gloria Chao, author of American Panda and Rent a Boyfriend
“Academic rivals portrayed to perfection… An all-time top favorite.”
—Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends
“Absolutely breathtaking. If You Could See the Sun is a clever, compassionate examination of class, privilege, and the American Dream, with characters you can’t help but root for. Liang is a rising star in YA fiction.”
—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
“Liang’s debut is dark academia at its finest with a supernatural twist. You can’t help but root for Alice when secrets and blackmail rise to the surface at Airington.”
—Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune
If You Could See the Sun
Ann Liang
harpercollins.com.au/hq
To my wonderful parents, who aren’t allowed to read this book.
And to my little sister, Alyssa,who would like everyone to know how awesome she is.
Ann Liang is an undergraduate at the University of Melbourne. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia but somehow ended up with an American accent. When she isn’t stressing out over her college assignments or writing, she can be found making overambitious to-do lists, binge-watching dramas, and having profound conversations with her pet Labradoodle about who’s a good dog. This is her debut novel.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Acknowledgments
1
My parents only ever invite me out to eat for one of three reasons. One, someone’s dead (which, given the ninety-something members in our family WeChat group alone, happens more often than you’d think). Two, it’s someone’s birthday. Or three, they have a life-changing announcement to make.
Sometimes it’s a combination of all the above, like when my great-grandaunt passed away on the morning of my twelfth birthday, and my parents decided to inform me over a bowl of fried sauce noodles that they’d be sending me off to Airington International Boarding School.
But it’s August now, the sweltering summer heat palpable even in the air-conditioned confines of the restaurant, and no one in my immediate family has a birthday this month. Which, of course, leaves only two other possibilities...
The anxious knot in my stomach tightens. It’s all I can do not to run right back out through the glass double doors. Call me weak or whatever, but I’m in no state to handle bad news of any kind.
Especially not today.
“Alice, what you look so nervous for ya?” Mama asks as an unsmiling, qipao-clad waitress leads us over to our table in the back corner.