If You Love The White Lotus, Here Is The Book You Should Read

Like "The White Lotus," Alexander Maksik's 2022 novel "The Long Corner" blends satire with drama — and, of course, a generous helping of mystery. Beginning in a politically turbulent 2017 Manhattan, the story follows Solomon Fields, once a promising young art journalist. However, Sol has become what his late grandmother would call a "sellout" when he switches careers for a paycheck. Now, working at an advertisement agency, Sol feels far from New York City's art and culture scene, the very world he once wrote about and loved (via Publisher's Weekly). So, when a mysterious emissary approaches the former writer at a party and asks him to join a tropical artists' retreat called the Coded Garden, he doesn't say no. Maybe it will be just the thing he needs.

However, the resort's mysterious patron, Sebastian Light, is far more ominous than he is generous. Sol must navigate the dark underbelly of a place that, at first glance, appears to be an artist's paradise. As noted by The New York Times, the book is "eerie and moving," adding that it offers "an argument for the necessity of irony, risk and integrity in the production of art as in life." The bottom line: It's a page-turner. With all its sweet-smelling scenery, the Coded Garden might just remind you of The White Lotus resort — minus Jennifer Coolidge, of course.