Ann Liang | |
|---|---|
 Liang in 2021 | |
| Born | 8 March 2000 Beijing, China |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Genre | |
| Notable works | If You Could See The Sun (2022) |
| Website | |
| www | |
Ann Liang (born 8 March 2000) is a Chinese-Australian author. [1] Liang will also serve as the executive producer for a television adaptation of her novel If You Could See The Sun. [2]
Ann Liang was born Liang Yuan in Beijing, China, on 8 March 2000. When she was five, she moved to Australia, and was given the name "Ann" by her teachers, as it was short and easy to remember. [3] : 2:14 At age ten, she moved back to Beijing, moving and attending various international schools, the longest being Beijing International School. She moved back to Australia when she was 15. [4] She attended Korowa Anglican Girls' School, and was the class of 2017's dux. [5]
Liang was a prolific reader and writer growing up. Throughout her life, Liang was encouraged to become a writer from a very young age, but did not consider it seriously until she was in year eleven. [6] In that same year, in 2016, she published her first work called "A Sketch of Perfection" in the anthology My First Lesson: Stories Inspired by Laurinda, by Alice Pung. [7] At the time of her debut, she had freshly graduated from the University of Melbourne. [1] [5]
On February 2, 2021, Liang announced through Instagram that she would debuting in 2022 with her young adult novel, If You Could See the Sun. [8] The book won the Readings Prize Young Adult Book Prize, [9] was a finalist for the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel, [10] and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. [11] On October 11, 2022, the debut day of If You Could See The Sun, it was announced that a television adaptation would be produced by the Seoul and Los Angeles-based Bound Entertainment company, and that Liang would be serving as an executive producer. [2]
On October 19, 2021, Liang announced that she would be releasing her second book, This Time It's Real, in spring 2023. [12]
Liang's third YA novel, I Hope This Doesn't Find You, released on February 6, 2024. [13] It reached number seven on the New York Times Best Seller list for young adult hardcover books, [14] and was a finalist for the Queensland Literary Awards Young Adult Book Award. [15]
Liang's debut adult novel, A Song To Drown Rivers, was released on October 1, 2024, [16] and was chosen for the Good Morning America book club. [17]
Liang's novel I Am Not Jessica Chen was going to be released in summer 2024, [18] but was pushed back to 2025. [19] On August 24, 2024, Liang announced the release of her fifth young adult novel, Never Thought I'd End Up Here, for June 2025. [20] Liang has a spinoff of If You Could See the Sun titled I Could Give You the Moon set to release in 2026. [19] Never Thought I'd End Up Here debuted as number two on the New York Times Best Seller list for young adult hardcover books. [21] On June 30, 2025, Liang announced that her seventh young adult book, I Could Give You the Moon, will release on April 14, 2026. [22]
Liang's works center on self-expression; a consistent, coming-of-age theme of her first three novels' characters, Alice Sun, Eliza Lin, and Sadie Wen. Another of her major themes is the Asian diaspora experience, with the former two being students who have found disparity with their home country due to being abroad, and the latter growing up in an English-speaking country. The three of them are characterized by their lack of language fluency in Mandarin Chinese. [19] This trend continues as a major plot point with the release of Never Thought I'd End Up Here, where it follows Chinese-American Leah Zhang and her trip in Shanghai after she flubs up a family wedding toast with her paltry Mandarin skills. [23]
Liang's books first two books take place in international schools, departing with I Hope This Doesn't Find You. This is influenced by Liang's childhood, as she attended at least six different schools in Beijing growing up. [3] : 24:18 Due to her various experiences, she also touches upon issues of class and privilege that she has seen from her wealthy classmates.
Some of Liang's artistic references is Chinese media such as C-dramas, and music such as Taylor Swift's discography, with the latter used as references to set the mood for each of her scenes. [24] Liang's earliest inspiration was R.L. Stine. [4] Liang also cites authors R. F. Kuang and Chloe Gong as inspirations, as well as the series The Hunger Games and Shatter Me . [6]
Pung, Alice (1 September 2016). My First Lesson: Stories Inspired by Laurinda. Penguin Books Australia. ISBN 9781925435252. [7]
She has a younger sister named Alyssa, who is acknowledged in her books. In an interview, she stated that her Chinese name is a combination of her parents' names. [25] : 35:04
Aside from English, Liang is fluent in Mandarin. [25] In an interview with Penguin Books Australia, she stated that she did an internship with a Chinese entertainment news company, which she also used as an inspiration for This Time It's Real. [6]
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | If You Could See the Sun | Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction | Nominated | [11] |
| Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel | Finalist | [10] | ||
| 2023 | Readings Prize Young Adult Book Prize | Won | [9] | |
| 2024 | I Hope This Doesn't Find You | Queensland Literary Awards Young Adult Book Award | Finalist | [15] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
