JUST EMILIA
a novel
6.10.2025 | Regal House Publishing
"A novel I won’t soon forget.”
—Laura Zigman, bestselling author of Separation Anxiety and Small World
"A feat of imagination."
—Miriam Gershow, author of Closer and Survival Tips: Stories
"Oko manages to transform a stuck elevator into a black box, a hall of mirrors, and a Swiss Army knife with her astonishing storytelling powers."
—Mary Kay Zuravleff, author of American Ending
"Jennifer Oko trips the space-time continuum with a deft hand in this jam-packed kaleidoscope of a novel."
—Laura Scalzo, author of American Arcadia
"Gripping from the start, this novel combines compelling storytelling with mordant humor. I loved it."
—Clare McHugh, Author of The Romanov Brides and The Most English Princess
"What happens when three versions of the same person collide in a dimensional mishap stuns the imagination. I love this book."
—Chris McClain Johnson, author of the Fugere Prize winning novella Three Guesses
EVENTS
6.10.2025
7 PM
Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
In conversation with Angie Kim
6.21.2025
1 PM
The Bookloft
63 State Rd
Great Barrington MA 01230
In conversation with Sarah Pitcher
7.25.2025
4 PM
The Truro Library
7 Standish Way
North Truro, MA 02652
9.16.2025
7 PM
Wonderland Books
Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
In conversation with Marth Toll
Press & Praise
Just Emilia
(coming June 10, 2025)
“
Bursting with imagination! In Just Emilia, Jennifer Oko manages to transform a stuck elevator into a black box, a hall of mirrors, and a Swiss Army knife with her astonishing storytelling powers. Three women trapped inside share a past in this entertaining novel about guilt, blame, and the possibility that forgiveness can alter the future.
“
Just Emilia is a feat of imagination. Oko asks universal questions–how do we make sense of our past and what do we want for our future?–in delightful and inventive ways. Prepare to be surprised and moved as the elevator doors close on Emilia, Millie, and Em. They may be trapped, but the reader is taken on an unforgettable journey through memory, grief, guilt, and hope.
“
Jennifer Oko’s Just Emilia is a deeply moving story, uniquely told, about the different versions of ourselves—past, present, and future—that co-exist, and how, with the correction of long-buried distorted memories, they can finally find peace. A novel I won’t soon forget.
— Mary Kay Zuravleff, author of American Ending
— Miriam Gershow, author of Closer and Survival Tips
— Laura Zigman, bestselling author of Separation Anxiety and Small World
Lying Together: My Russian Affair
“
When she's describing the Dostoyevskian decline of her romance, her tale becomes simply riveting.
"Editor's Choice"
The New York Times Book Review
“
[a] fascinatingly moving memoir ... an engagingly intimate voice...
The Boston Globe
“
It's a heady cocktail.... a quick, juicy read.
The San Francisco Chronicle
Gloss
USA Today picks GLOSS as a "hot summer read!"
“
USA Today
Pick of the Month! GLOSS reminds us of another tongue-in-cheek mystery: Carl Hiaasen's LUCKY YOU.
“
Marie Claire
Five Stars. This story is fast paced, riveting and one you just can't put down.
“
Affaire de Coeur Magazine
Head Case
“
Dozens of Five Star Reviews on Amazon.com
I just adored this book. The writing style is quick, easy to read, and very friendly, so you feel very close to the main character, even when she's doing things you don't like. The plot is first-rate -- really clever, and done in a fantastic way.
“
C.S White
All I can say is that if you don't put ALL YOUR OTHER BOOKS AWAY and read just the FIRST chapter you are NUTS; you will find yourself going and going and I will just say it now --you're welcome! This is the most fun I have had reading in a long time.
“
Jennifer Elizabeth Hyndman
BIO
Jennifer’s memoir Lying Together: My Russian Affair (published under her maiden name, Jennifer Beth Cohen) was called “simply riveting” in The New York Times Book Review, which twice named it an "Editor's Choice." Publisher's Weekly called it "sharp, fast-paced... a fascinating glimpse inside the world of news gathering and contemporary Russia" and The San Francisco Chronicle said it was "a heady cocktail... a quick, juicy read." Her novel Gloss, a satire of morning television news, also received ample praise, with Marie Claire magazine comparing it to Carl Hiaasen’s Lucky You and The Chicago Tribune saying it was “a rare treat.” Her novel Head Case is a comic mystery about psycho-pharmaceutical trafficking, which she swears is not autobiographical in any way.
Her latest novel, Just Emilia, a time-traveling dark comedy about three women who are trapped in an elevator and forced to grapple with an unresolved trauma, will be published on June 10, 2025.
Jennifer is also a journalist and filmmaker. She is a co-founder of the boutique production company Because.Media, which develops and creates documentary films and video for outlets ranging from HBO, PBS, and The New York Times to the MacArthur Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The company is currently in production on a Netflix documentary about corruption in family court.
Jennifer holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, a BA in Russian Language and Literature from Tufts University, and a BFA in Studio Arts from the School of The Museum of Fine Arts. She lives in Washington, DC.
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