What You Make of Me is the debut novel by Sophie Madeline Dess. It follows two tight knit adult siblings, Demetri and Ava, artists of very different mediums.
As Demetri’s death draws near, which I promise isn’t a spoiler, Ava recalls some of their experiences growing up and throughout young adulthood that contributed to their complicated relationship.
I recently spoke with Sophie Madeline Dess about the differences between artistic mediums, and her own appreciation of art.
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What You Make of Me was published by Penguin Press.
Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from WHAT YOU MAKE OF ME by Sophie Madeline Dess, read by Candace Fitzgerald. ©2025 Sophie Madeline Dess, ℗2025 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.
Marginalia was produced at KMUW Wichita and is part of the NPR Podcast Network.
Mark Statzer and Torin Andersen - engineers
Lu Anne Stephens & Haley Crowson - editors
Haley Crowson & Katie Lanning - producers
Karlee Cooper - marketing coordinator
Beth Golay - host
