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The Minimalist
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26For fans of Tár and The Piano Teacher, this gruesome and unsettling psychological drama is a darkly lucid portrait of a classical composer’s descent into madness.
As the last and greatest student of famed minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, Mia Voss’s rise to prominence in the insular world of classical music has long been assured. When Ryder dies unexpectedly, she inherits everything—including the unfinished manuscript of his final composition, the mysterious Death Fugue: Music for Orchestra.
Haunted by memories of her tragic romance with Ryder’s late son, Oliver—like Mia, an Asian American adoptee—Mia leaves her girlfriend behind and returns to Ryder’s home to finish his last work. There, Mia is forced to confront her complex relationship with Ryder, who hid his Jewish and gay identities to become one of the most important twentieth-century American composers; her lingering guilt over Oliver’s suicide; and her own musical ambition as the manuscript begins to exert a disturbing, mesmerizing hold over her.
Drawn from the author’s own experiences as an adoptee and classical musician, The Minimalist is a harrowing examination of loss, torment, mental illness, self-harm, and artistic self-destruction.
As the last and greatest student of famed minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, Mia Voss’s rise to prominence in the insular world of classical music has long been assured. When Ryder dies unexpectedly, she inherits everything—including the unfinished manuscript of his final composition, the mysterious Death Fugue: Music for Orchestra.
Haunted by memories of her tragic romance with Ryder’s late son, Oliver—like Mia, an Asian American adoptee—Mia leaves her girlfriend behind and returns to Ryder’s home to finish his last work. There, Mia is forced to confront her complex relationship with Ryder, who hid his Jewish and gay identities to become one of the most important twentieth-century American composers; her lingering guilt over Oliver’s suicide; and her own musical ambition as the manuscript begins to exert a disturbing, mesmerizing hold over her.
Drawn from the author’s own experiences as an adoptee and classical musician, The Minimalist is a harrowing examination of loss, torment, mental illness, self-harm, and artistic self-destruction.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 18, 2026
149 people want to read
About the author
Kailee Pedersen
3 books118 followersKailee Pedersen writes haunted, unsettling speculative fiction. She graduated with a BA in classics from Columbia University, specializing in ancient Greek. Kailee was adopted from Nanning, China and grew up in Nebraska, where her family owns a farm. She is the author of the queer poetry chapbook
Pastorale
and the novel Sacrificial Animals, which was named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards.
When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel. Visit her website at kaileepedersen.com.
Photo by Garland Quek (www.garlandquek.com)
When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel. Visit her website at kaileepedersen.com.
Photo by Garland Quek (www.garlandquek.com)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars! The Minimalist was a very different read. It leans heavily into the musician side of things, but that is what made it so enjoyable. I do not know much about the details and knowledge of music. When reading this, I was completely immersed in it. I was learning about it as I read.
Honestly, the dark themes made this book. We see areas such as mental illness and loss. The author did not shy away from these topics at all, and it added to the allure of the novel. I loved how the title was very prevalent in the story, also.
The writing style was one I love. The style felt slightly complex and sophisticated. There was a lot of description. However, a stylistic choice was made in this novel that is one of my biggest book pet peeves. There are no quotation marks. This novel would have probably been rated slightly higher if there were quotation marks. This is completely a personal preference, but it irked me so badly.
Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Minimalist is released on August 18, 2026!
Honestly, the dark themes made this book. We see areas such as mental illness and loss. The author did not shy away from these topics at all, and it added to the allure of the novel. I loved how the title was very prevalent in the story, also.
The writing style was one I love. The style felt slightly complex and sophisticated. There was a lot of description. However, a stylistic choice was made in this novel that is one of my biggest book pet peeves. There are no quotation marks. This novel would have probably been rated slightly higher if there were quotation marks. This is completely a personal preference, but it irked me so badly.
Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press, & Kailee Pedersen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Minimalist is released on August 18, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC for review. To be published August 18, 2026.
3.5 stars
Unsettling book about how art and loss can drive one mad. Composer Mia Voss was the student of famous minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield and had an intense relationship with his son, the late pianist Oliver. After Ryder’s death Mia inherits everything, including his last, unfinished work which she is charged with completing. The story moves back and forth in time as Mia works on the piece and remembers the past.
The story’s minimalism symbolism was often quite literal but the book was interesting and gave a nice peek into the lives of serious musicians. I may check out Pedersen’s earlier book based on the strength of this one.
3.5 stars
Unsettling book about how art and loss can drive one mad. Composer Mia Voss was the student of famous minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield and had an intense relationship with his son, the late pianist Oliver. After Ryder’s death Mia inherits everything, including his last, unfinished work which she is charged with completing. The story moves back and forth in time as Mia works on the piece and remembers the past.
The story’s minimalism symbolism was often quite literal but the book was interesting and gave a nice peek into the lives of serious musicians. I may check out Pedersen’s earlier book based on the strength of this one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews