Katabasis follows two doctoral student rivals who descend into the depths of hell to save their advisor's soul, centering on protagonist Alice Law and blending coming-of-age themes with literary fantasy. The book launched to a near-sellout crowd at the Wilbur in Boston, drawing fans of earlier works including Babel, The Poppy War trilogy, and Yellowface. A pre-order campaign with Somerville independent shop Narrative offered a deluxe collector's edition and merchandise. The narrative draws on experiences of abuse and precarity in academia and uses dark humor about PhD life, academic pressures, and recommendation letters.
At a nearly sold-out book tour show in Boston, the phenom writer announced a new coming-of-age, literary fiction work to come out in 2026. Boston-area novelist R.F. Kuang's newest novel features two doctoral student rivals traveling to the depths of hell to save the soul of their advisor. "Hell is other people, I've heard," says Alice Law, the main character of " Katabasis," Kuang's sixth novel, which hit shelves Tuesday.
"Why hell?" Tamagawa asked Kuang, who is currently pursuing her PhD at Yale University. "Well, we're in Boston," Kuang quips back, before acknowledging, "actually, Boston is the greatest city in America, but we're in Boston, the city of depressed PhD students. Who hasn't fantasized about accidentally killing their advisor and then having to go to hell and rescue them for a recommendation letter?"
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