The Payback - by Kashana Cauley (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When Jada Williams is relentlessly pursued by the Debt Police, she is left with no choice but to take down her student loan company with the help of two mall coworkers--from the author of the "lethally witty" (The New York Times Book Review) The Survivalists.

Jada Williams is good at judging people by their looks. From across the mall, she can tell not only someone's inseam and pants size, but exactly what style they need to transform their life. Too bad she's no longer using this superpower as a wardrobe designer to Hollywood stars, but for minimum wage plus commission at the Glendale mall.

When Jada is fired yet again, she is forced to outrun the newly instated Debt Police who are out for blood. But Jada, like any great antihero, is not going to wait for the cops to come kick her around. With the help of two other debt-burdened mall coworkers, she hatches a plan for revenge. Together the three women plan a heist to erase their student loans forever and get back at the system that promised them everything and then tried to take it back.

The Payback is a razor-sharp and hilarious dissection of race and capitalism from one of the most original and exciting writers at work today.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE PAYBACK

"A novel of great fun and unforgettable fury, The Payback sharply questions the punitive systems we live within, the contradiction between social wellbeing and individual wellness, and what it means to work toward a decent life." --Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning


"In an Afrofuturist world of barbaric debt police and an absurd heist to bring it all down, The Payback is a delightfully dark comedy of three coworkers-turned-conspirators hell-bent on revenge. This trio of Robin Hoods taking matters into their own hands out of grief and desperation will have you alternating between raucous laughs and fear for their safety. California strip malls, 80s fashion, punk and hacker culture, all combine in a tenacious cocktail of sweet justice shared by all." --Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last

"An exciting and hilarious heist novel that centers down-on-their-luck older millennials who are riddled with debt and decide to take matters into their own hands to dismantle the system. Timely and witty, Cauley's plotting, prose, and character development will keep you hooked from start to finish." --Morgan Jerkins, New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be Undoing

PRAISE FOR THE SURVIVALISTS

Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
A Phenomenal Book Club Pick
Named a Best Book by Today, People, InsideHook, Stylecaster
Named a Most Anticipated Book by The Washington Post, Bustle, Vulture, Salon, Oprah Daily, The Millions, and more

"[A] pretty withering comedy . . . and as [Cauley] turns her splendidly dry humor on the antics of the apocalypse-obsessed she reserves her indignation for the bloodsucking business practices that keep employees in a state of paranoid competition. Holding a job, finding an affordable place to live, starting a family--this is what 21st-century survivalism is really about." --Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

"[A] lethally witty debut . . . One might expect a novel about gun-toting, conspiracy-minded loners to lampoon its key players, but the book succeeds because Cauley appears as curious and empathetic toward the survivalists as she is toward her protagonist . . . Cauley, a former writer for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, displays an enviably versatile sense of humor. The novel is most fun when her wit bolsters the narrative's sociopolitical underpinnings, as when she describes a 'house full of mysterious, unexplainable rich-people' paraphernalia, 'like gazebos.' Funny because they're true, such jabs give the book its verve but also its depth. " --Laura Warrell, The New York Times Book Review

"Inventive . . . Cauley, a former staff writer for Trevor Noah's The Daily Show and columnist for The New York Times, has shown herself to be a master of diagnosing our nation's troubles through acerbic humor . . . Cauley's quick wit flickers across these pages as her comedy carries us from scene to scene . . . There's a nail-biting urgency to the juxtaposition of Aretha's fledgling survivalism and her increasingly clumsy performance at work, contributing to the sense that The Survivalists would make for a thrilling screen adaptation." --Lovia Gyarkye, The Washington Post

"Learn her name, because Cauley is one of the funniest writers at work today, period." --Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

"Cauley's book is as comedic as is it caffeinated . . . The Survivalists has notes of darkness and a well-balanced acidity that shouldn't come as a surprise to readers of Cauley's opinion pieces for GQ, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, among others . . . Cauley's prose is often laugh-out-loud funny . . . the author is wonderfully attuned to matters of Blackness and the ways a current generation lives, enjoys, and--yes--suffers." --Lisa Kennedy, The Boston Globe

"A great and engrossing read, Kashana humanizes a way of life that is often made fun of and makes the reader understand why someone would go to such great lengths to prepare for the future, so much so she almost sold me on those Life Preserver soy bars!" --Trevor Noah

"This is a banger of a book!" --Samantha Irby

"A stylish, blazingly original take on the heist novel, The Payback is both a whip-smart critique of contemporary capitalism and a moving character study of the workers most often caught in its clutches." --Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

"Like Ocean's Eleven but no one's famous. The Payback is a love letter to the American mall, the revenge of the break room, and a laugh-cry of the gods of retail. The result is obsessive truth-telling fun, with zingers, dishy thrills, bodysuits, and a few wigs that have seen better days but are hoping to have the best one yet." --Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

"Smart, socio-politically astute, and sidesplitting hilarious, The Payback's inventive wit solidifies Kashana Cauley's place among our most entertaining social critics and novelists." --Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy

About the Author

Kashana Cauley is the author of The Payback and The Survivalists, which was named a best book of 2023 by the BBC, Today, Vogue, and more. Cauley is also a television writer, having worked on The Great North, Pod Save America on HBO, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and more. Find out more at KashanaCauley.com.