Robinne Lee on Her New Novel 'Crash Into Me' and the Evolution from 'The Idea of You'
Robinne Lee's sophomore novel 'Crash Into Me' follows her 2016 car accident on Montana Avenue in Los Angeles, which inspired the opening scene. The book centers on Cecilia Chen, a Jamaican-Chinese photographer, and supermodel Anouk Ferrand, exploring race, identity, and American politics in 2015/2016. Lee struggled with writer's block for three years after the success of 'The Idea of You', which sold a million copies, was translated into two dozen languages, and adapted into an Amazon Studios film starring Anne Hathaway. She moved to Paris in 2022 to overcome creative blockage. The novel features a queer romance, a subversive portrayal of marriage, and critiques of the fashion industry in the 1990s. Lee has secured contractual involvement in any screen adaptation of 'Crash Into Me'.
Key facts
- Robinne Lee's novel 'Crash Into Me' was published in 2024.
- The opening scene is based on Lee's 2016 car accident in Los Angeles.
- Protagonist Cecilia Chen is Jamaican-Chinese, like Lee.
- Lee moved to Paris in 2022 to overcome writer's block.
- 'The Idea of You' sold over a million copies and was adapted into a film.
- Lee has contractual rights to write on any screen adaptation of 'Crash Into Me'.
- The novel explores race, identity, and American politics of 2015/2016.
- Lee worked at Elle magazine during the era of supermodels.
Entities
Artists
- Robinne Lee
- Anne Hathaway
- Kate Moss
Institutions
- Amazon Studios
- Vogue
- Elle
Locations
- Los Angeles
- Montana Avenue
- Paris
- Cabo San Lucas
- France
- Jamaica
- United States