Follow fate (and some illuminated lanterns) in an excerpt from Lauren Kung Jessen's Red String Theory
A Chinese proverb says, "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break."
This proverb is at the heart of Lauren Kung Jessen's sophomore romance novel Red String Theory, which EW can exclusively reveal the cover for (and share an excerpt!). Out Jan. 9, 2024, the novel follows visual artist Rooney Gao whose Gōng Gong taught her about the red string of fate as a child.
Firmly believing that her soulmate is out there somewhere, Rooney thinks she might have found him in NASA systems engineer Jackson Liu after they spend a snowy, romantic evening in New York City. What Jackson doesn't know is that Rooney is the artist he's chosen for NASA's reinstated Artist-in-Residence program, and she is convinced fate has brought them together two years after their special night. Jackson, however, doesn't believe in fate, leaving the question of whether or not they'll take the second chance they're offered.
Check out the cover designed and illustrated by Sandra Chiu (@whatsannymade) and an illuminating excerpt below.
Red String Theory excerpt
Lunar New Year was two weeks ago, and tonight marks the final day of celebrations. Against the starless sky and between a break in the clouds, I locate the full moon, significant for the Lantern Festival. It's still light against the orange and violet sky, quickly growing in brightness as the night ticks on.
I carefully move my hands under our lantern. Jack overcompensates and extends his long arms under the entire rim to the point where we're practically holding hands. We push the lantern down low enough so we can see each other over the top of it. In the yellow glow, I see pink blossom across his cheeks. I feel my face warm in the same way, and I know it's not because of the heat from the flame below us.
"If we do this, we have to do it the right way," Jack says. "I can do some quick math. Figure out the coordinates and proper angle to release this. Preferably away from the police station. Do you know where that is?" He looks at me expectantly.
I wave one of my arms toward downtown, and the lantern is thrown off balance. "Somewhere over there."
Jack steadies the lantern and looks up at an angle. "The wind is blowing west. That's good. Let's use that to our benefit. Lift it higher. Come slightly more toward me." I shuffle three baby steps in his direction. "We can aim it toward the river and away from all the buildings and people."
Jack looks up toward his forehead doing what I assume is mental math. It's endearing watching him become this involved.
"What else are we not considering?" he asks, looking over at the other couples releasing their lanterns. "Okay, there. See? They're releasing the lantern straight over their heads. But it needs to stay low enough and at an angle. Theirs will hardly make it a mile."
"Lantern Wars. Nice. What do we win? Free lanterns for life?" I joke.
Jack shakes his head, but it's not directed toward me. "Now just look at those people," he says under his breath, leaning in closer to me. I catch a faint scent of clove on him, chased by an earthy hint of oak. Or is it cedar? Something woodsy. His scent alone warms me up.
"They've pushed the lantern out too forcefully over the edge of the building," he continues. "All that swaying is going to throw it off its trajectory."
"There's no need to overanalyze the magic of releasing lanterns. Once it's out of our hands, we can't control it anymore."
Jack furrows his brows. "We're not leaving our paper lantern fueled by fire up to…fate. Or destiny. Or whatever it is that you're referring to that is out of our control."
"Our lantern will end up where it's supposed to. Don't worry," I reassure him.
"Okay, I won't worry about fate," Jack says with an undercurrent of sarcasm. It's subtle, but I notice it. A snag in his typically calm reserve. "How about instead, I'll just worry about getting caught and spending the night in jail."
"If you have that experience, maybe you won't fear it as much."
He adjusts his footing. "That's a lesson I'll happily skip."
Within minutes, the lantern takes on a life of its own, the heat inside letting us know it no longer wants to be earthside. Our lantern floats even higher, guiding our hands up with it.
With our arms above our heads, Jack and I lock eyes under the glow of the flame. Through his dark lashes, I can see that eye-smile again.
He shrugs. "Might as well let go on three. One, two—"
At the same time, we both whisper "three" and release the lantern up toward the indigo sky. As we watch it follow its freewheeling path, we bump into each other, momentarily unaware of any unspoken boundaries.
I'm breathless and, so it seems, is Jack.
"That was thrilling," he says with a slightly confused look on his face.
"You look positively radiant," I say, mimicking his serious look.
Laughter pours out of him, unrestrained. It's the first time I've heard it from him. There's an unexpected warmth in it, such childlike joy beneath his stony exterior.
Outside, it's a low thirty degrees, and I can hardly feel my face but hearing Jack's laugh under the brightest full moon I've ever seen thaws out all parts of me. The moon beams like a spotlight over the Hudson River. A tingling sensation unravels in my chest. Could he be…
Excerpted from RED STRING THEORY by Lauren Kung Jessen. Copyright © 2024 by Lauren Kung Jessen. Reprinted with permission from Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
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