Exalted

Anna Dorn

Emily Forrest runs the hottest astrology account on Instagram, @Exalted, but astrology is on the outs, and her finances are dwindling. Emily doesn't even really believe in astrology, despite her gift for deciphering the moons and signs, until she comes across a birth-chart that could potentially change her mind. Beau Rubidoux’s chart has all the planets in their right places—it is exalted.

She decides that Beau could potentially be the love of her life and begins following him around Los Angeles in hopes of getting close to him and catching his eye.

Meanwhile, in Riverside, CA, Dawn Webster has been dumped once again. At 48, she is forced to return to the diner where she started waiting tables at 18. With no girlfriend, no career, and her only son gone to Hollywood, the once-vivacious Dawn is aimless and alone. Persona non-grata at the local lesbian bar, she guzzles cheap champagne and peruses @Exalted to feel seen. When Dawn spots her son's estranged father one day during a work break, she decides to track him down and reshape the flailing course of her life.

Told from Emily and Dawn's alternating points of view, Exalted is a deliciously dark novel that explores desire, the projection of love, and what we're really searching for when we keep scrolling. Anna Dorn's signature wit and biting social commentary takes readers across Southern California until Emily and Dawn's shocking connection is finally revealed.

Praise for Exalted

"A depressed Millennial astrologist, a self-hating lesbian with a rage (and drinking) problem, and profound questions of connection and destiny make Exalted an unforgettable read. Clear your schedule and consult your horoscope because Anna Dorn's novel will make you cackle and gasp, and you won't be able to put it down."

—Edan Lepucki

"No one observes Instagram’s chokehold on the millennial psyche like Anna Dorn does. Exalted is shrewd and biting, required reading for astrology devotees and skeptics alike. I inhaled this novel like the obsessive Scorpio I am."

—Grace Perry

"Exalted is electric, life flowing through every sentence. Moody and modern, Dorn has masterfully crafted characters and voices that make this novel both laugh out loud readable and emotionally complex— it'll make you feel like shit, but you'll enjoy every moment of it."

—Jean Kyoung Frazier

"I highly enjoyed Exalted—a fun, funny, druggy, wise, and surprising page-turner about highs and lows and parents and relationships."

—Tao Lin

"Satirically taking on internet culture and our sometimes desperate desire to connect, Exalted is sardonic and thought-provoking. But how are Emily and Dawn connected? You’ll have to read it to find out."

—BuzzFeed Books, Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of 2022

"A brutally funny and observant ride through astrology culture, love, and self-discovery."

—NYLON Magazine, Most Anticipated Books of 2022

"Anna Dorn’s novel Exalted is a fun, fast paced, and hilarious examination of the projection of love that deals with astrology, social media, and the illusion of perfection."

—Rachel Léon, Electric Literature

"Both Dawn and Emily overlap in increasingly surreal ways, and both women use astrological stereotypes to understand their lives on a deeper plane ('My Gemini moon says some really empty things sometimes'). The result is a humorous, highly contemporary melodrama, perfect for summertime reading."

—Greta Rainbow, Shondaland

"Dorn’s not afraid to throw jabs at obsession in all its forms — Instagram, love, desire, control, the freedom of mind-altering substances, and more — and the payoff is the perfect balance of wickedness and fun."

—Layla Halabian, Nylon Magazine

"There is, quite simply, a deep satisfaction in seeing Emily and Dawn behave badly... Emily and Dawn may be liars, irresponsible and harmful, but they’re also charismatic and fun, and they inspire empathy and love from the people they mesh with. Exalted is also incredibly funny, keenly tuned in to contemporary internet culture and generational differences."

—Ilana Masad, Los Angeles Times