Henry Percival is among the last of white male novelists who were systematically favored over other voices in literary fiction. Up-and-coming Black essayist Xan Smith reluctantly accepts a commission to do a socio-critical exploration of the increasing irrelevance of that group of novelists. The book she comes up with may be interesting to a meager audience, pay a few months’ rent. In meeting Henry, Xan learns of a much more compelling story she can tell. It seems the murder of a Black woman in Henry’s most famous novel was based on fact—in fact on Henry’s life and murderous rage. Now that’s a bestseller.