fiction

摘要

DEBUT In 2015, Orla wants to be writing literary fiction but instead turns out puffery like her trend piece on the hat that three stars wore to the funeral of a B-list young actress. Her new roommate, Florence, aka Floss, wants to be over-the-top famous but has barely made a low-rent runway. Then Floss persuades Orla that the way for them both to get ahead is for Orla to craft any story, plot any plot, publicize whatever it takes to put Floss gloriously before the public eye, with Orla catching the afterglow. "It's not enough to be talented, it's not enough to work hard," she says to the skeptical Orla. "You have to do anything, everything, and you need to forget about doing the right thing." So Orla signs her pact with the devil. By the 2050s, sponsored folks famous for being famous are sequestered in a California village, their every move spilled worldwide by live camera-they have lots and lots of followers-and we see just how far Floss's conceit (or shall we say deceit) has gone. What's the connection of one 2050s star, Marlowe, to Orla and Floss? And how will their tale turn out? VERDICT An edgy, exciting read, a slap-in-the-face cautionary tale, and future thrills that provide au cou- rant shivers. [See Prepub Alert, 7/1/19.]