The Payback - by Kashana Cauley (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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"--

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.

"A novel of great fun and unforgettable fury" (Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning) The Payback is a razor-sharp and hilarious dissection of race, power, and the daily grind, from one of the most original and exciting writers at work today.

Review Quotes

"A twisted, cathartic romp...There's an undercurrent of Luigi Mangione-like disquiet in this story: We're rooting for the brave antihero, the political martyr, the rebel with a rightful cause."--The New York Times Book Review

"For all that it deals with systemic racism and economic precarity, The Payback is a terrifically fun book that made me laugh out loud at least once every chapter." --The Los Angeles Times

"Riotous - and righteous."--Vanity Fair

New York Times 31 Novels to Read This Summer

"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


"A dark comedy on the friendship and resourcefulness of three Black women who plan a caper to erase everyone's debts. Engaging, emotional, and entertaining."--Boston Globe, Best Books of Summer

"In Cauley's timely and playful novel, three retail co-workers-turned-friends hatch a plot to wipe out student loan debt. From bonding over their distrust of the debt police to carrying out their daring scheme, the trio's story reads like a delightful heist movie. (Actually, Hollywood, if you're listening: Snap this one up)." --Bustle, Most Anticipated Books of Summer

"Timely and riotous...[The Payback] delivers outstandingly on this spectacular premise. Cauley's prose sings, snappy and clever, painting a picture of a world that feels at the same time utterly absurd and chillingly close at hand."--CrimeReads

"Cauley burnishes her page-turner with shrewd commentary on the debt burden placed on first-generation college students. It's a knockout." --Publishers Weekly

"The Payback is as shady, cunning, and wickedly fun as its gimlet-eyed narrator. It describes - like nothing else - an America drowning in cheap merch and dipping FICA scores, the endless want of living here. Luigi, save us. We know not what we've done." --Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television

"Could this novel be any more timely or more delightful? Delicious, fabulist and cuttingly insightful about the current moment, The Payback is Moonstruck meets heist movie, true fun with real teeth. We will all be reading Cauley for many years to come." --Rufi Thrope, author of Margo's Got Money Troubles

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.