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The Minimalist
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26For fans of Tár and The Piano Teacher, this gruesome and unsettling psychological drama is a darkly lucid portrait of a classical composer’s descent into madness.
As the last and greatest student of famed minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, Mia Voss’s rise to prominence in the insular world of classical music has long been assured. When Ryder dies unexpectedly, she inherits everything—including the unfinished manuscript of his final composition, the mysterious Death Fugue: Music for Orchestra.
Haunted by memories of her tragic romance with Ryder’s late son, Oliver—like Mia, an Asian American adoptee—Mia leaves her girlfriend behind and returns to Ryder’s home to finish his last work. There, Mia is forced to confront her complex relationship with Ryder, who hid his Jewish and gay identities to become one of the most important twentieth-century American composers; her lingering guilt over Oliver’s suicide; and her own musical ambition as the manuscript begins to exert a disturbing, mesmerizing hold over her.
Drawn from the author’s own experiences as an adoptee and classical musician, The Minimalist is a harrowing examination of loss, torment, mental illness, self-harm, and artistic self-destruction.
As the last and greatest student of famed minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, Mia Voss’s rise to prominence in the insular world of classical music has long been assured. When Ryder dies unexpectedly, she inherits everything—including the unfinished manuscript of his final composition, the mysterious Death Fugue: Music for Orchestra.
Haunted by memories of her tragic romance with Ryder’s late son, Oliver—like Mia, an Asian American adoptee—Mia leaves her girlfriend behind and returns to Ryder’s home to finish his last work. There, Mia is forced to confront her complex relationship with Ryder, who hid his Jewish and gay identities to become one of the most important twentieth-century American composers; her lingering guilt over Oliver’s suicide; and her own musical ambition as the manuscript begins to exert a disturbing, mesmerizing hold over her.
Drawn from the author’s own experiences as an adoptee and classical musician, The Minimalist is a harrowing examination of loss, torment, mental illness, self-harm, and artistic self-destruction.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 18, 2026
About the author
Kailee Pedersen
3 books138 followersKailee Pedersen writes haunted, unsettling speculative fiction. She graduated with a BA in classics from Columbia University, specializing in ancient Greek. Kailee was adopted from Nanning, China and grew up in Nebraska, where her family owns a farm. She is the author of the queer poetry chapbook
Pastorale
and the novel Sacrificial Animals, which was named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards.
When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel. Visit her website at kaileepedersen.com.
Photo by Garland Quek (www.garlandquek.com)
When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel. Visit her website at kaileepedersen.com.
Photo by Garland Quek (www.garlandquek.com)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 15, 2026
3.5 rounded up because of that WRITING
WOW!
This book is really something. I loved the uniqueness and how it is unafraid to take on different ideas of identity, and even stranger ideas of self expression
I rarely ever think of piano composers, but this book will make them forever cross my mind in an incredibly gruesome dramatic way.
The story is equal parts vignette and gothic novel, combined with a very unique, grotesque writing style!!
Overall, a good read, but not an easy recommendation!
WOW!
This book is really something. I loved the uniqueness and how it is unafraid to take on different ideas of identity, and even stranger ideas of self expression
I rarely ever think of piano composers, but this book will make them forever cross my mind in an incredibly gruesome dramatic way.
The story is equal parts vignette and gothic novel, combined with a very unique, grotesque writing style!!
Overall, a good read, but not an easy recommendation!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Starred review in the June issue of Library Journal
Three Words That Describe This Book: Excruciating discomfort, Artist Descends into Madness, highly original
Draft Review: Too infrequently does a title perfectly set the reader up for the book that is to come, but in Pedersen’s second novel, minimalism, serves as the frame for this highly original, excruciatingly discomfiting tale of a young composer's descent into madness. Mia, 35, a critically acclaimed classical music composer, is left to complete her teacher’s unfinished final piece– Death Fugue– after his sudden death. Haunted by a life dedicated to music and her relationships with Ryder and his son, Oliver, as well as riddled with complex questions of identity as a Chinese born, American adoptee, trained to carry the Jewish legacy of her mentor, readers watch Mia spiral physically and mentally, as the pages of Death Fugue require visceral, disfiguring sacrifices of her. Told like one of Ryder’s minimalist masterpieces, Mia layers observations and experiences from her life, flowing in and out of past and present, repeating motifs, adding more detail, tension, and escalating dread with each repetition. Readers may think the frame will be too esoteric for them, until they realize they can feel (with all five senses) the obsessive horror of this tightly wound novel, throughout their entire body, whether they want to or not.**
Verdict: Clearly from a lineage begun by Robert Chambers in The King in Yellow, this is a novel for fans of the psychologically intense film Black Swan, and the extreme psychological distress, body horror, and disorientation of novels like Chlorine by Jade Song and The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
I have NEVER used the word excruciating in a good way to describe a horror novel until now. It is the perfect word for you to understand how this book FEELS to read.
Other words– obsession, intense unease, discomfiting, visceral, body horror, terrifying, tightly wound, a slow burn that keeps you reading, classical music– so much detail that readers will want to pull up some of the pieces discussed and the cool thing is you can for some, but then there are the fictional pieces by the characters here and that is also discomfiting because they feel as real as the real pieces.
At first I was rating this book down because the frame is a little esoteric (and I am the mother of a child in music school who composes). But then I started to write my notes and I wrote this:
The topic may be a little esoteric but the way this book is able to make the reader FEEL the madness, obsession, disgust, the excruciating terror, discomfort, dragging out of the madness ect….that was done to perfection. You want to throw the book down and scream at it to move faster, but you don’t. You are stuck in this loop of obsession. The book is everything it tells you it will be in the title. Those 2 words seem so simple. But as you read you feel the power of minimalism to wrench every emotion out of you.
And another HUGE component of this story– identity. I didn’t make it one of the “words” because it is more of a theme, not an appeal. But Ryder is Jewish and gay but hid both those sides of himself for most of his life. The gay was because of the times. The Jewish, he lost so much sight of that when he tried to reclaim it in his music, it was too late. He is teaching Mia the ways of Jewish life and music and history though.
Mia is an adoptee from China – abandoned on the side of the road as 3 days old, adopted by her white American mother and raised as a white girl basically. She feels no connection to her Chinese-ness and yet is cited as an Asian American composer. Oliver is Ryder’s adopted Korean son. He is Korean. His mother was a student of Ryder’s. BUt she flees back to Korea and leaves Olver, the baby, with Ryder to raise. He is conflicted about his origins.
Carlos Gesualdo– you are going to want to look him up. Mia is obsessed with him. We learn early that she was always obsessed with him. He was talented but also famous for killing his wife and her liver in a particularly gruesome manner. It is mentioned and brought back many times. It was a great way to get readers invested in the dark side of the music world but also served to foreshadow what was to come in this book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_G....
Told only from inside Mia’s head from her present, in Ryder’s home, after he dies and she is left to go through his things and most importantly, finish his final work– Death Fugue.
Like a minimalist work for music– it is similar pieces repeating over and over, overlapping in ways that allow the entire story to grow but at an excruciatingly slow burn– excruciating being the key word here because this story is SO intense, SO uneasy, SO much tension that as it begins to be “released” it is both visceral and full body levels of upset– again excruciating.
Also like a work of classical music-- this story was technically perfect. Things were overlapped and ordered in a way that pulled out the most tension, emotion, and discomfort in the reader. The same story told in order, and with other protagonists does not hit the same way. It is not a horror novel if done differently.
This the the closest book I have seen to capturing how it felt to watch the film Black Swan. I remember going to the theater to see that artist goes mad, psychological horror masterpiece and I was riveted the entire time. And then when it ended, I could barely stand up. I had been (without knowing it) clenching all of my muscles with the tension. My body hurt.
This is a book you FEEL in your whole body much like the first 2 readalikes-- For books, there is a lot of Chlorine by Jade Song here but our protagonist is a musician (not an athlete) and 35 during the present of the book, but there is a lot about her coming of age years. Also the weird body horror and disorientation of The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
The King in Yellow– it’s lineage is CLEAR here. Best recent book for that is A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper. This book is less erotic, but not without sex either.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Excruciating discomfort, Artist Descends into Madness, highly original
Draft Review: Too infrequently does a title perfectly set the reader up for the book that is to come, but in Pedersen’s second novel, minimalism, serves as the frame for this highly original, excruciatingly discomfiting tale of a young composer's descent into madness. Mia, 35, a critically acclaimed classical music composer, is left to complete her teacher’s unfinished final piece– Death Fugue– after his sudden death. Haunted by a life dedicated to music and her relationships with Ryder and his son, Oliver, as well as riddled with complex questions of identity as a Chinese born, American adoptee, trained to carry the Jewish legacy of her mentor, readers watch Mia spiral physically and mentally, as the pages of Death Fugue require visceral, disfiguring sacrifices of her. Told like one of Ryder’s minimalist masterpieces, Mia layers observations and experiences from her life, flowing in and out of past and present, repeating motifs, adding more detail, tension, and escalating dread with each repetition. Readers may think the frame will be too esoteric for them, until they realize they can feel (with all five senses) the obsessive horror of this tightly wound novel, throughout their entire body, whether they want to or not.**
Verdict: Clearly from a lineage begun by Robert Chambers in The King in Yellow, this is a novel for fans of the psychologically intense film Black Swan, and the extreme psychological distress, body horror, and disorientation of novels like Chlorine by Jade Song and The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
I have NEVER used the word excruciating in a good way to describe a horror novel until now. It is the perfect word for you to understand how this book FEELS to read.
Other words– obsession, intense unease, discomfiting, visceral, body horror, terrifying, tightly wound, a slow burn that keeps you reading, classical music– so much detail that readers will want to pull up some of the pieces discussed and the cool thing is you can for some, but then there are the fictional pieces by the characters here and that is also discomfiting because they feel as real as the real pieces.
At first I was rating this book down because the frame is a little esoteric (and I am the mother of a child in music school who composes). But then I started to write my notes and I wrote this:
The topic may be a little esoteric but the way this book is able to make the reader FEEL the madness, obsession, disgust, the excruciating terror, discomfort, dragging out of the madness ect….that was done to perfection. You want to throw the book down and scream at it to move faster, but you don’t. You are stuck in this loop of obsession. The book is everything it tells you it will be in the title. Those 2 words seem so simple. But as you read you feel the power of minimalism to wrench every emotion out of you.
And another HUGE component of this story– identity. I didn’t make it one of the “words” because it is more of a theme, not an appeal. But Ryder is Jewish and gay but hid both those sides of himself for most of his life. The gay was because of the times. The Jewish, he lost so much sight of that when he tried to reclaim it in his music, it was too late. He is teaching Mia the ways of Jewish life and music and history though.
Mia is an adoptee from China – abandoned on the side of the road as 3 days old, adopted by her white American mother and raised as a white girl basically. She feels no connection to her Chinese-ness and yet is cited as an Asian American composer. Oliver is Ryder’s adopted Korean son. He is Korean. His mother was a student of Ryder’s. BUt she flees back to Korea and leaves Olver, the baby, with Ryder to raise. He is conflicted about his origins.
Carlos Gesualdo– you are going to want to look him up. Mia is obsessed with him. We learn early that she was always obsessed with him. He was talented but also famous for killing his wife and her liver in a particularly gruesome manner. It is mentioned and brought back many times. It was a great way to get readers invested in the dark side of the music world but also served to foreshadow what was to come in this book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_G....
Told only from inside Mia’s head from her present, in Ryder’s home, after he dies and she is left to go through his things and most importantly, finish his final work– Death Fugue.
Like a minimalist work for music– it is similar pieces repeating over and over, overlapping in ways that allow the entire story to grow but at an excruciatingly slow burn– excruciating being the key word here because this story is SO intense, SO uneasy, SO much tension that as it begins to be “released” it is both visceral and full body levels of upset– again excruciating.
Also like a work of classical music-- this story was technically perfect. Things were overlapped and ordered in a way that pulled out the most tension, emotion, and discomfort in the reader. The same story told in order, and with other protagonists does not hit the same way. It is not a horror novel if done differently.
This the the closest book I have seen to capturing how it felt to watch the film Black Swan. I remember going to the theater to see that artist goes mad, psychological horror masterpiece and I was riveted the entire time. And then when it ended, I could barely stand up. I had been (without knowing it) clenching all of my muscles with the tension. My body hurt.
This is a book you FEEL in your whole body much like the first 2 readalikes-- For books, there is a lot of Chlorine by Jade Song here but our protagonist is a musician (not an athlete) and 35 during the present of the book, but there is a lot about her coming of age years. Also the weird body horror and disorientation of The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
The King in Yellow– it’s lineage is CLEAR here. Best recent book for that is A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper. This book is less erotic, but not without sex either.
April 25, 2026
3 stars
This is an unrelentingly bleak story about a musical prodigy who finds herself unraveling after the loss of the two people closest to her.
Stylistically, this is told in nonlinear snapshots of Mia’s past as she recounts her life growing up as the adopted child of an emotionally abusive mother, finding and losing her first love, and becoming a burgeoning composer in the shadow of her harsh but brilliant mentor. At the same time, we see glimpses of Mia in the present, grappling with questions surrounding the circumstances of her closest colleague/ex-lover’s suicide, the recent death of her life long teacher, and the monumental task of finishing his final manuscript after his passing. What follows can only be described as a free fall into madness as Mia struggles to reconcile with her guilt, her trauma, and her vehement belief that self destruction is the only way to unlock the ability to compose a piece worthy of her mentor’s legacy. To put it bluntly, things get really, really dark.
I will say, my own personal pursuit of knowledge on the topic of classical music ended after the 4 years of compulsory violin classes in school, so I felt like quite a bit of the opera and symphony references that were on nearly every page went completely over my head. I wouldn’t call the writing very accessible at all, but that’s what helped sell the characters as geniuses in their fields. If Kailee Pedersen didn’t write with such an absolute death grip on the English language, I might not have felt as compelled to finish this story as I did. I would absolutely read more from this author because she’s extremely impressive, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t know much about classical music or at the very least isn’t a fan of reading deeply about a topic they don’t know much about.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my free advanced copy of this book!
This is an unrelentingly bleak story about a musical prodigy who finds herself unraveling after the loss of the two people closest to her.
Stylistically, this is told in nonlinear snapshots of Mia’s past as she recounts her life growing up as the adopted child of an emotionally abusive mother, finding and losing her first love, and becoming a burgeoning composer in the shadow of her harsh but brilliant mentor. At the same time, we see glimpses of Mia in the present, grappling with questions surrounding the circumstances of her closest colleague/ex-lover’s suicide, the recent death of her life long teacher, and the monumental task of finishing his final manuscript after his passing. What follows can only be described as a free fall into madness as Mia struggles to reconcile with her guilt, her trauma, and her vehement belief that self destruction is the only way to unlock the ability to compose a piece worthy of her mentor’s legacy. To put it bluntly, things get really, really dark.
I will say, my own personal pursuit of knowledge on the topic of classical music ended after the 4 years of compulsory violin classes in school, so I felt like quite a bit of the opera and symphony references that were on nearly every page went completely over my head. I wouldn’t call the writing very accessible at all, but that’s what helped sell the characters as geniuses in their fields. If Kailee Pedersen didn’t write with such an absolute death grip on the English language, I might not have felt as compelled to finish this story as I did. I would absolutely read more from this author because she’s extremely impressive, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t know much about classical music or at the very least isn’t a fan of reading deeply about a topic they don’t know much about.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my free advanced copy of this book!
April 5, 2026
“A performance, no matter how beautiful, can only have so many encores.”
My gosh this was written poetically. So many moments of tenderness against moments of pain - I felt it was almost a memoir rather than a novel.
This would have been a 5 star read if I had a background in music, as some of the information was hard to understand. I truly wish I had a soundtrack to listen to during this and would be interested in how the audiobook works through any of this.
At first I did not enjoy the back and forth of the time jumps, but I do think it added to the sense of her descent into madness and the repetition of her thoughts and memories.
I loved the writing and would 100% read this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My gosh this was written poetically. So many moments of tenderness against moments of pain - I felt it was almost a memoir rather than a novel.
This would have been a 5 star read if I had a background in music, as some of the information was hard to understand. I truly wish I had a soundtrack to listen to during this and would be interested in how the audiobook works through any of this.
At first I did not enjoy the back and forth of the time jumps, but I do think it added to the sense of her descent into madness and the repetition of her thoughts and memories.
I loved the writing and would 100% read this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2026
Wow! I just finished reading this and am floored by how hauntingly beautiful this was! The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen is written beautifully, and written with care despite the dark themes within. Overall this is an exploration of identity, and follows the main character, Mia. The story goes back and forth between the present and memories from Mia’s past. Typically I find this confusing and sometimes disjointed but how Kailee writes these scenes, I find are seamless. The story is also a bit slower paced but picks up quickly and soon I couldn’t put it down. I love this writing style as it emulates the spiral into madness.
Recommended to those who like slow burn descents into madness, explorations of identity, race& relationships, visceral body horror, overall bleak story. It’s definitely a specific recommendation but I will be recommending it when I can!
Thank you, thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for review!
Recommended to those who like slow burn descents into madness, explorations of identity, race& relationships, visceral body horror, overall bleak story. It’s definitely a specific recommendation but I will be recommending it when I can!
Thank you, thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for review!
May 19, 2026
The Minimalist was disturbing descent into madness, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Absolutely beautiful writing, dense in a way that makes you feel smarter just reading it. I loved all the references to real pieces of music and composers, it grounded the story in reality even as Mia’s life spun out into unreality. Mia’s mind is an excruciating place to be. This was a harrowing read. I am definitely going to check out Kailee Pedersen’s other work after this!
Want to Read
February 8, 2026A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
March 23, 2026
Thanks to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for a copy of this arc
Do you know that meme of the ogre trying to read James Joyce and failing to grasp the greater concept ? Thats how this book made me feel.
There is certainly interest in The Minimalist. The writing though purple, is captivating.
I couldn’t shake the sense that if i understood music or greco roman art i would enjoy this far more.
Unfortunately i am … dumb.
The stylistic choice to forgo quotation marks did not work for me nor did I enjoy the nonlinear narrative though i think thats personal taste. I switched to an assistive screen reader and that was helpful.
I think fans of Natural Beauty and The Perfection and horror lit fic in general might find more enjoyment in this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There are books that make you love reading and ones that make you love writing- just as there are novels that make you love stories or ones that make you love storytelling. This was very much the latter on both counts.
Wow.
It's very rare that I finish a novel and just feel this sense of overwhelm and awe, but this book had me stunned. This may be one of the best written stories I have ever read. The pacing, the beautiful lyricism of the prose, just everything about this author's way of storytelling had me absolutely entranced. I have never highlighted lines in an ebook before, ever. But I felt as though I had no choice with some of the metaphors, they demanded attention and I undoubtedly will be returning to re-read some of the most haunting lines, because, well, wow.
One of my favorite elements of this story was how rich it was in allusions. So many fantastic operatic and orchestral works were referenced and used as storytelling devices to elevate the emotional impact, which was absolutely stunning. The use of Apollo and Marsyas to develop the growing madness was genius. Honestly? The entire book was genius.
I also found the relationship between Oliver, Mia, and Ryder to be heart-wrenching and particularly well written. Especially the connection between Oliver and Ryder, which reminded me a lot of Jude and Harold's relationship in 'A Little Life'- one of my all time favorite books.
Finally, the time jumps were incredibly well done. It's very difficult to move scenes and time periods as well as Pedersen did, and it truly felt effortless in this novel. I absolutely loved the emotion that was brought with the well-timed flashbacks, and this unique narrative structure has cemented this author on my favorites list. I will be reading the rest of her works, and anything new to come.
It is very impressive that a book with no quotation marks was so encompassing, and I devoured every page. There is no doubt that The Minimalist is a novel that will plague you long after finishing the last page, though from its haunting story or lyrical honesty I can't say.
A huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wow.
It's very rare that I finish a novel and just feel this sense of overwhelm and awe, but this book had me stunned. This may be one of the best written stories I have ever read. The pacing, the beautiful lyricism of the prose, just everything about this author's way of storytelling had me absolutely entranced. I have never highlighted lines in an ebook before, ever. But I felt as though I had no choice with some of the metaphors, they demanded attention and I undoubtedly will be returning to re-read some of the most haunting lines, because, well, wow.
One of my favorite elements of this story was how rich it was in allusions. So many fantastic operatic and orchestral works were referenced and used as storytelling devices to elevate the emotional impact, which was absolutely stunning. The use of Apollo and Marsyas to develop the growing madness was genius. Honestly? The entire book was genius.
I also found the relationship between Oliver, Mia, and Ryder to be heart-wrenching and particularly well written. Especially the connection between Oliver and Ryder, which reminded me a lot of Jude and Harold's relationship in 'A Little Life'- one of my all time favorite books.
Finally, the time jumps were incredibly well done. It's very difficult to move scenes and time periods as well as Pedersen did, and it truly felt effortless in this novel. I absolutely loved the emotion that was brought with the well-timed flashbacks, and this unique narrative structure has cemented this author on my favorites list. I will be reading the rest of her works, and anything new to come.
It is very impressive that a book with no quotation marks was so encompassing, and I devoured every page. There is no doubt that The Minimalist is a novel that will plague you long after finishing the last page, though from its haunting story or lyrical honesty I can't say.
A huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
March 7, 2026
1.5/5
Thank you NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and Kailee Pederson for gifting me with this ARC to review! Now I struggled to get through this one and I was expecting to love it and I’m disappointed it just didn’t work for me.
Liked:
-the concept of an artist slowly going insane while dealing with grief and composing a masterpiece. It’s such an intriguing plot for a book. Mia was definitely taking the self harming to a whole new level which I was completely horrified by.
Disliked:
-lack of quotation marks. I hate this style choice so much! Everything gets jumbled and I have to reread paragraphs because I don’t know when inner thoughts end and speaking starts. I’m sure it works for certain genres but I don’t think it was the best fit for this novel. It came across as unfinished and rushed.
-the flashbacks. They weren’t linear which doesn’t usually bother me too much but for some reason it kept taking me out of the story when a flashback would happen. It makes sense for Mia’s memories to come back to her non linear but again it just didn’t feel cohesive to the rest of the story.
-everything is just a bit underwhelming. The Death Fugue masterpiece wasn’t preformed for an audience (which I think should’ve happened and then we can cut to the ending the author had for Mia). Mia’s obsession felt fake in a way because it was just very sudden. The ending was okay but I wasn’t shocked or interested in it.
Thank you NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and Kailee Pederson for gifting me with this ARC to review! Now I struggled to get through this one and I was expecting to love it and I’m disappointed it just didn’t work for me.
Liked:
-the concept of an artist slowly going insane while dealing with grief and composing a masterpiece. It’s such an intriguing plot for a book. Mia was definitely taking the self harming to a whole new level which I was completely horrified by.
Disliked:
-lack of quotation marks. I hate this style choice so much! Everything gets jumbled and I have to reread paragraphs because I don’t know when inner thoughts end and speaking starts. I’m sure it works for certain genres but I don’t think it was the best fit for this novel. It came across as unfinished and rushed.
-the flashbacks. They weren’t linear which doesn’t usually bother me too much but for some reason it kept taking me out of the story when a flashback would happen. It makes sense for Mia’s memories to come back to her non linear but again it just didn’t feel cohesive to the rest of the story.
-everything is just a bit underwhelming. The Death Fugue masterpiece wasn’t preformed for an audience (which I think should’ve happened and then we can cut to the ending the author had for Mia). Mia’s obsession felt fake in a way because it was just very sudden. The ending was okay but I wasn’t shocked or interested in it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Let me just say right off that the writing in this novel is absolutely beautiful. It’s dark, introspective, and quietly unsettling. The atmosphere is one of the strongest aspects of the book for me. Much of the story unfolds in isolation, trapping you inside Mia’s mind which makes it feel very claustrophobic. Mia’s inner world is intense and convincing, you can feel her grief and guilt. Making her unraveling though gradual still very believable.
There are so many heavy themes tackled such as anti-semitism, homosexuality and grief making this novel emotionally heavy with little to no relief. With constant psychological pressure and few moments of warmth or levity it can become exhausting rather than gripping.
If you like moody, introspective, slow psychological horror, this will probably be an amazing read for you but if you prefer clear plots, faster pacing, or grounded realism, it may feel too inward, too heavy, or too ambiguous. The ambiguity is another double-edged sword. I appreciated not being spoon-fed answers, but at times it felt like the story was withholding clarity rather than deepening its mystery.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, moody read that will really resonate with the right audience, but it didn’t completely click for me though I found the writing beautiful.
There are so many heavy themes tackled such as anti-semitism, homosexuality and grief making this novel emotionally heavy with little to no relief. With constant psychological pressure and few moments of warmth or levity it can become exhausting rather than gripping.
If you like moody, introspective, slow psychological horror, this will probably be an amazing read for you but if you prefer clear plots, faster pacing, or grounded realism, it may feel too inward, too heavy, or too ambiguous. The ambiguity is another double-edged sword. I appreciated not being spoon-fed answers, but at times it felt like the story was withholding clarity rather than deepening its mystery.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, moody read that will really resonate with the right audience, but it didn’t completely click for me though I found the writing beautiful.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Having been sent to an orphanage, unwanted, I had no father—but if I had one, it would have been Ryder. Yet he was also my teacher, and what passes between teacher and student is not love; it is something entirely different. Admiration and terror, envy and hatred. I was all he had left in the world; not only that, I was all that would be left of him.
This book has lacerating things to say about what it is to be a student to a mentor you have a complicated relationship with; about transracial and international adoption; about difficult mother/daughter relationships. I’m not sure how well it works as a novel, specifically—there isn’t much of a plot—but it says things that pierced me.
I liked this because it’s the kind of thing I like, but it definitely needs a certain kind of reader. I have a high tolerance for purple prose, so I mostly liked the prose here, but I can imagine many readers finding it too pretentious. (Also, there are no quotation marks.)
Content notes: Self-harm. Suicide. Disordered eating, including pica and purging. Vomiting. Workplace sexual harassment. Adoption. Emotionally abusive parenting.
Rep: Main character describes herself as a bisexual woman. She has had relationships with men and women. She is ethnically Chinese and was adopted from China as an infant by a white American mother.
This book has lacerating things to say about what it is to be a student to a mentor you have a complicated relationship with; about transracial and international adoption; about difficult mother/daughter relationships. I’m not sure how well it works as a novel, specifically—there isn’t much of a plot—but it says things that pierced me.
I liked this because it’s the kind of thing I like, but it definitely needs a certain kind of reader. I have a high tolerance for purple prose, so I mostly liked the prose here, but I can imagine many readers finding it too pretentious. (Also, there are no quotation marks.)
Content notes: Self-harm. Suicide. Disordered eating, including pica and purging. Vomiting. Workplace sexual harassment. Adoption. Emotionally abusive parenting.
Rep: Main character describes herself as a bisexual woman. She has had relationships with men and women. She is ethnically Chinese and was adopted from China as an infant by a white American mother.
April 29, 2026
It’s been a while since I read a book and thought, ‘Is anyone happy in this story?’ lol. I’m not saying this as a negative but as a warning: this story is DARK. You should see the number of trigger warnings that I set on Fable: grief, violence, misogyny, child abuse, relationship abuse, gore, child loss, homophobia, etc., etc., etc. Seriously, if you are depressed or facing a hard time in your life, I would postpone reading this book to a better time. HOWEVER, the writing is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I marked like 15 quotes on my Kindle. As a music fan, I found this book so heartbreaking but realistic. Music can represent happiness, but pain too. I’m sad about some of the FMC decisions (from a feminist point of view), but I get it, this is not a “fairytale”. I would highly recommend this story to any music fan out there, and to fans of dark stories like “Black Swan”.
And just for reference, why “Minimalist”? “Minimal music (also called minimalism) is a form of art music or other compositional practice that employs limited or minimal musical materials. Prominent features of minimalist music include repetitive patterns or pulses, steady drones, consonant harmony, and reiteration of musical phrases or smaller units.” I did some quick research about the concept before I started the book, and it helped me understand better some dialogues and situations. I highly recommend it if you are not that familiar with classical music.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.
And just for reference, why “Minimalist”? “Minimal music (also called minimalism) is a form of art music or other compositional practice that employs limited or minimal musical materials. Prominent features of minimalist music include repetitive patterns or pulses, steady drones, consonant harmony, and reiteration of musical phrases or smaller units.” I did some quick research about the concept before I started the book, and it helped me understand better some dialogues and situations. I highly recommend it if you are not that familiar with classical music.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.25 ⭐️
Blurb:
Mia Voss descends into madness in this unsettling psychological drama. When her instruction suddenly passes, she inherits everything, including his unfinished composition. Mia dropped everything and is forced to face her complex and dark past, slowly becoming overtaken by her own self-destruction.
Thoughts:
I binged this book so quick because of its addictive writing style! It is so unique and it has such immersive story-telling qualities I couldn’t get enough of. There are no quotations and some of the longest sentences you will encounter in modern-day literature, but it just feels so right.
This book is heavy, and there are a lot of things to consider before diving into it if you have any content areas you avoid. Seeing where Mia was at the beginning versus the end of the book is jolting. She slowly succumbs to her mental illness and is grief stricken, but it is shown through such a poetic way that it almost makes it beautiful (please don’t hate me guys).
I also want to note that although there are a ton of classical music references, I, a non-classical music connoisseur, understood this story so deeply and connected with Mia.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!
Blurb:
Mia Voss descends into madness in this unsettling psychological drama. When her instruction suddenly passes, she inherits everything, including his unfinished composition. Mia dropped everything and is forced to face her complex and dark past, slowly becoming overtaken by her own self-destruction.
Thoughts:
I binged this book so quick because of its addictive writing style! It is so unique and it has such immersive story-telling qualities I couldn’t get enough of. There are no quotations and some of the longest sentences you will encounter in modern-day literature, but it just feels so right.
This book is heavy, and there are a lot of things to consider before diving into it if you have any content areas you avoid. Seeing where Mia was at the beginning versus the end of the book is jolting. She slowly succumbs to her mental illness and is grief stricken, but it is shown through such a poetic way that it almost makes it beautiful (please don’t hate me guys).
I also want to note that although there are a ton of classical music references, I, a non-classical music connoisseur, understood this story so deeply and connected with Mia.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars! The Minimalist was a very different read. It leans heavily into the musician side of things, but that is what made it so enjoyable. I do not know much about the details and knowledge of music. When reading this, I was completely immersed in it. I was learning about it as I read.
Honestly, the dark themes made this book. We see areas such as mental illness and loss. The author did not shy away from these topics at all, and it added to the allure of the novel. I loved how the title was very prevalent in the story, also.
The writing style was one I love. The style felt slightly complex and sophisticated. There was a lot of description. However, a stylistic choice was made in this novel that is one of my biggest book pet peeves. There are no quotation marks. This novel would have probably been rated slightly higher if there were quotation marks. This is completely a personal preference, but it irked me so badly.
Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Minimalist is released on August 18, 2026!
Honestly, the dark themes made this book. We see areas such as mental illness and loss. The author did not shy away from these topics at all, and it added to the allure of the novel. I loved how the title was very prevalent in the story, also.
The writing style was one I love. The style felt slightly complex and sophisticated. There was a lot of description. However, a stylistic choice was made in this novel that is one of my biggest book pet peeves. There are no quotation marks. This novel would have probably been rated slightly higher if there were quotation marks. This is completely a personal preference, but it irked me so badly.
Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Minimalist is released on August 18, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(ARC - out 08/18/26 via St. Martin's Press) Sometimes you read a new to you writer and it makes you realize your absolute inability to form coherent sentences. Hats off, Kailee Pederson! The comps given for this novel were “Tár”and “The Piano Teacher,” which, sign me all the way up. The comparisons are quite apt! Mia is our narrator here, a composer with generational talent and a ruthlessly ambitious drive, who decides to finish her mentor’s manuscript of his final composition after his unexpected death. She becomes haunted by memories, specifically those of her mentor’s son, with whom she had an intense romantic relationship. The writing of this is so unique - vivid, in-depth explorations of musical composition sit beside grotesque, gruesome scenes of violence sit beside deep excavations of identity and artistry. Flashbacks are done in such a way that the reader needs to discern when we’re in a flashback and when we’re in reality - delineation is scarce here. I loved this - adored the setting of the classical music world, vibed with the troublesome narrator, and was along for all of the stylistic choices the author made.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:
This book was nothing like I've ever read before, I was really craving a dramatic read and this handed that to me on a plate and more. I thought that the writing style was as unique as the story and the characters were so well written. The chemisty and dynamics between characters in here was perfect and I was under this books spell long after that last page, just beautifully done. Weaving horror, music, mental illness and loss together and your emotions will be on high alert. I will be on the look out for our authors books here on out. Place this on your TBR for this summer.
𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Classical Music, Mental Illness, Loss, Medium Pace Read, Emotional, Psychological Drama
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Releasing on August 18, 2026!
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:
This book was nothing like I've ever read before, I was really craving a dramatic read and this handed that to me on a plate and more. I thought that the writing style was as unique as the story and the characters were so well written. The chemisty and dynamics between characters in here was perfect and I was under this books spell long after that last page, just beautifully done. Weaving horror, music, mental illness and loss together and your emotions will be on high alert. I will be on the look out for our authors books here on out. Place this on your TBR for this summer.
𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Classical Music, Mental Illness, Loss, Medium Pace Read, Emotional, Psychological Drama
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Releasing on August 18, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC for review. To be published August 18, 2026.
3.5 stars
Unsettling book about how art and loss can drive one mad. Composer Mia Voss was the student of famous minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield and had an intense relationship with his son, the late pianist Oliver. After Ryder’s death Mia inherits everything, including his last, unfinished work which she is charged with completing. The story moves back and forth in time as Mia works on the piece and remembers the past.
The story’s minimalism symbolism was often quite literal but the book was interesting and gave a nice peek into the lives of serious musicians. I may check out Pedersen’s earlier book based on the strength of this one.
3.5 stars
Unsettling book about how art and loss can drive one mad. Composer Mia Voss was the student of famous minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield and had an intense relationship with his son, the late pianist Oliver. After Ryder’s death Mia inherits everything, including his last, unfinished work which she is charged with completing. The story moves back and forth in time as Mia works on the piece and remembers the past.
The story’s minimalism symbolism was often quite literal but the book was interesting and gave a nice peek into the lives of serious musicians. I may check out Pedersen’s earlier book based on the strength of this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Minimalist by Kailee Pederson
4/5 stars
The description of the book is what really hooked me in. I was a classically trained flute player for many years so I really resonated with the idea of going insane while composing and grieving. The story follows Mia as she handles the grief of a loved one and finishing a piece.
I really liked the uniqueness of the story and writing style. It kept me entertained and engaged the entire time.
I do feel that it might not be an easy read for some people and that is the only reason I took off a star. It would be difficult to recommend to someone that cannot appreciate its quality of a novel.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
4/5 stars
The description of the book is what really hooked me in. I was a classically trained flute player for many years so I really resonated with the idea of going insane while composing and grieving. The story follows Mia as she handles the grief of a loved one and finishing a piece.
I really liked the uniqueness of the story and writing style. It kept me entertained and engaged the entire time.
I do feel that it might not be an easy read for some people and that is the only reason I took off a star. It would be difficult to recommend to someone that cannot appreciate its quality of a novel.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
March 2, 2026
this was a very well written and slow build book.
i have not previously read anything quite like it; the focus on the music was very interesting. i found the way the author described various compositions to be very beautiful and immersive even for someone who doesn't know much about that world. the portrayals of grief and identity issues were well done. the slow descent into madness was VERY well done - reading what seems like just a normal paragraph and then suddenly... GASP! i was a bit reminded of the movie black swan during my reading of this.
i really enjoyed reading this and did it in one day. the tension slowly ratcheted up and i had to see how it was going to end. the writing was beautiful and lyrical. i would definitely read another book by this author!
i have not previously read anything quite like it; the focus on the music was very interesting. i found the way the author described various compositions to be very beautiful and immersive even for someone who doesn't know much about that world. the portrayals of grief and identity issues were well done. the slow descent into madness was VERY well done - reading what seems like just a normal paragraph and then suddenly... GASP! i was a bit reminded of the movie black swan during my reading of this.
i really enjoyed reading this and did it in one day. the tension slowly ratcheted up and i had to see how it was going to end. the writing was beautiful and lyrical. i would definitely read another book by this author!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
basically, an artist consumed. spiraling, but written beautifully. incredibly haunting. i felt both appalled and drawn to keep reading. akin to black swan or a less known movie, the perfectionist. and I'll say again, the writing is striking and complex (? idk if this is the correct word choice) without being gratuitous; the writing alone is reason to read this book. i could see myself rereading this one, Pedersen really captured something stunning, but incredibly dark.
prepare to feel a lil uncomfy!
prepare to feel a lil uncomfy!
May 16, 2026
I liked Pedersen's prior book, and I was already intrigued from the Tar comparison, but this ended up being fucking tailor made for me, in the best kind of way. Mia Voss, the last student of famed minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, goes to his old house to finish his final, unfinished composition Death Fugue for Orchestra. Throw in memories of her situationship with Wakefield's late adopted son, the twisted shit our mentor figures can inflict on us in the name of music and perfection, random treats if you know classical music well, and some real fucked up fugues and hallucinations, and you have a hell of a story. Comes out in August, pick this up now.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received an advanced copy from Goodreads giveaway.
First let me say that the writing is great! The story itself was unsettling and disturbing at times, sometimes hard get through. Otherwise, it was very interesting. Mia's grief changes her. As the story unravels you can feel her grief and how it consumes her.
First let me say that the writing is great! The story itself was unsettling and disturbing at times, sometimes hard get through. Otherwise, it was very interesting. Mia's grief changes her. As the story unravels you can feel her grief and how it consumes her.
April 19, 2026
The writing was beautiful but its floridity made it a touch exhausting.
Most of the classical music references and jargon went straight over my head but I appreciated the ones I did get.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Review Copy
Most of the classical music references and jargon went straight over my head but I appreciated the ones I did get.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Review Copy
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
:(
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 stars rounded up. Review to come
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I like the concept of this book. I just don’t think I have enough understanding about composers/the music world to fully appreciate it.
May 16, 2026
Such a dark story with a bleak atmosphere. And I say that with love. This story was written beautifully and I love the authors writing style. I will absolutely be seeking out more from her!
May 24, 2026
Dark urbane thriller. I don’t have a background in music but still really enjoy ed.
March 29, 2026
A deeply disturbing and engrossing story of a tortured artist. There’s a bit of resonance with Thomas Bernhard’s “The Loser,” another novel about a talented pianist who struggles with an overwhelming sense that they can never live up to their peers or mentors. But “The Minimalist” goes beyond existentialism to tackle deep issues of belonging, artistic merit, and love through the lens of body horror. Without delving into spoilers, I physically shuddered several times at Mia’s thoughts and actions. At times, I found images from “The Substance” popping into my mind.
But the book isn’t just a gorefest either. The engagement with the strange world of classical music is vividly realized and touches on the psychological struggles of great composers, both household names and more obscure figures, form interesting resonances with Mia’s life, as do the variety of classical works cited across multiple eras. Having training in classical music will certainly enhance the reader’s engagement with the subject matter, but it’s not a prerequisite.
Kailee Pedersen’s prose is consistently gripping and many passages stand out for their heartfelt beauty, or their stark nihilism. Some may find the minimalist decision to forego quotation marks difficult, but I thought it was both in keeping with the themes of the work and a pleasure to read.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
But the book isn’t just a gorefest either. The engagement with the strange world of classical music is vividly realized and touches on the psychological struggles of great composers, both household names and more obscure figures, form interesting resonances with Mia’s life, as do the variety of classical works cited across multiple eras. Having training in classical music will certainly enhance the reader’s engagement with the subject matter, but it’s not a prerequisite.
Kailee Pedersen’s prose is consistently gripping and many passages stand out for their heartfelt beauty, or their stark nihilism. Some may find the minimalist decision to forego quotation marks difficult, but I thought it was both in keeping with the themes of the work and a pleasure to read.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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