Eleven

Summary

• The chapter begins with a series of tweets from an account called @AthenaLiusGhost accusing the narrator, June Hayward (pen name Juniper Song) of stealing and publishing a book called The Last Front, originally written by a woman named Athena Liu.
• The tweets condemn June for culture appropriation and deception, alleging she stole Athena’s work, changed her author persona to seem more ethnically diverse and published the book under a different name.
• June's claims of innocence seem futile as the anonymous tweeter’s accusations gain traction, rapidly spreading throughout the literary community on social media.
• While June tries to rationalize the situation, she is increasingly overwhelmed by the online backlash and the potential fallout from the accusations and suffers a panic attack.
• As June reevaluates the situation, she realizes that although the central accusation is true, the finer details are fabricated. She further concludes that since there's no substantial concrete evidence, she might still be able to clear her name.
• She contacts her agent, Brett, to inform him about the situation. Brett, feeling less worried, suggests ignoring the anonymous troll and not responding to the allegations.
• The scandal grows, creating an industry-wide frenzy and gathering many supporters and opposition. While some writers try to remain neutral, most demand evidence and express their disappointment and anger towards June.
• June herself develops an unhealthy obsession with the virality of the situation, continuously monitoring comments, reactions, and debates across social media, and spiralling further down into anxiety and depression.
• She earns a few supporters during the ordeal, largely from Eden's Angels, her team at Eden Press, and her agent Brett. They advise her to weather the storm and stay resilient.
• Despite the support, June continues to be fixated on the controversy, constantly fearing the inevitable professional demise she suspects is hovering over her.

• The protagonist reflects on the scrutiny and backlash authors might experience in the digital age, where one discourteous comment can result in intense online backlash. Cases of other authors facing online vitriol and harassment are highlighted, suggesting this scrutiny might be a rite of passage to notable authors.
• The protagonist reveals Athena, another author, experienced racial hate and harassment after defending her relationship with a white man on a controversial tweet about hate crimes against Asian Americans. The hate escalated to the point of anonymous individuals hacking Athena's author website, sending her death threats, and cyberstalking her.
• The backlash Athena received made the protagonist dismissive, believing she was exaggerating her fear for attention. The protagonist didn't view the internet harassment as a real-world threat back then.
• However, the protagonist soon changed her stance when she became a target of online harassment. That experience made her grasp the psychological and emotional stress Athena faced. She began to comprehend the feeling of losing security as strangers mocked, humiliated, and violated her privacy.
• The protagonist observes the influence of social media platforms, especially Twitter, in shaping a writer's reputation and livelihood. Despite its virtual nature, Twitter's influence on the publishing industry is viewed as more significant than real life.
• The protagonist imagines being mobbed by a crowd of online users, her career and reputation destroyed, leading to her final cancellation in the realm of the literary world.