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The Simp: A Novel Without a Hero
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26
A novel without a hero. Hellscape with an infinity pool.
Raj Ladlani is one of thousands in an unemployable actor. He has reasons to believe he is spectacularly talented (his beloved acting coach Anthony says so), a legend in every way but for the success.
His anonymous life working at Yogurtland, obsessively reading Vanity Fair, and fantasizing about stardom, comes to an end when he answers a job ad detailing a relentless, laughable parade of menial responsibilities for a 'Hollywood Family'. So begins the astonishing decline and fall of Raj Ladlani.
The Simp tells the story of Raj's momentous employment and the destruction that follows in the wake of his time with the with the H Jim, a macho director determined to prove himself as an artist; and Anna, his much younger wife who has ambitions of her own.
And when the job reveals itself to be an absurdist walk through affluent domestic chaos and misguided engagements with identity politics, Raj might be about to lose it - on a very public stage.
Raj Ladlani is one of thousands in an unemployable actor. He has reasons to believe he is spectacularly talented (his beloved acting coach Anthony says so), a legend in every way but for the success.
His anonymous life working at Yogurtland, obsessively reading Vanity Fair, and fantasizing about stardom, comes to an end when he answers a job ad detailing a relentless, laughable parade of menial responsibilities for a 'Hollywood Family'. So begins the astonishing decline and fall of Raj Ladlani.
The Simp tells the story of Raj's momentous employment and the destruction that follows in the wake of his time with the with the H Jim, a macho director determined to prove himself as an artist; and Anna, his much younger wife who has ambitions of her own.
And when the job reveals itself to be an absurdist walk through affluent domestic chaos and misguided engagements with identity politics, Raj might be about to lose it - on a very public stage.
- GenresFiction
Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 7, 2026
7 people are currently reading
3056 people want to read
About the author
Roshan Sethi
1 book11 followersRoshan Sethi is a writer, director, and practicing oncologist. He is the cocreator of The Resident, which ran for six seasons on Fox. His directorial debut, 7 Days, won the Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. He subsequently directed World’s Best for Disney+ and cowrote the abortion drama Call Jane, which premiered at Sundance in 2022. His third film as a director, A Nice Indian Boy, recently premiered at SXSW to rave reviews. His next film, The Surgeon, starring Michelle Yeoh and Martin Freeman, is forthcoming. The Simp is his debut novel
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 26, 2025
THE SIMP a riot of a book. incisive and acerbic, this is a brutal reckoning with celebrity culture and the West Coast film industry studded with themes of desperate proximity to power and modern race relations in a post-2020 United States
our main character, so deeply embedded in his own lies, is pitiful, complex, and nigh unredeemable. Sethi is utterly damning of his characters but every time he softens just enough to let the sympathy pierce through. no character escaped this treatment and i gleefully hated one character then another, before finishing the book with a sigh — privilege is privilege. this is a very funny book but it’s also really quite depressing!
THE SIMP is an upturned Vanity Fair for the Instagram activism generation. highly enjoyed!
thank you to Sceptre and NetGalley for the arc <3
our main character, so deeply embedded in his own lies, is pitiful, complex, and nigh unredeemable. Sethi is utterly damning of his characters but every time he softens just enough to let the sympathy pierce through. no character escaped this treatment and i gleefully hated one character then another, before finishing the book with a sigh — privilege is privilege. this is a very funny book but it’s also really quite depressing!
THE SIMP is an upturned Vanity Fair for the Instagram activism generation. highly enjoyed!
thank you to Sceptre and NetGalley for the arc <3
November 20, 2025
A hilarious story of a wannabe actor and adept liar who finagles his way into a job assisting a famous director and his younger wife. This is a fun read that is full of delusional characters and unreliable narration. If you are in the mood for a sharp satire of celebrity culture, give this a read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A “simp,” more or less is described as “someone with excessive sympathy and attention toward another person, typically to someone who does not reciprocate the same feelings, in pursuit of affection or a sexual relationship.” In other words, meet Raj, the anti-hero star of this remarkable novel, “The Simp,” who takes on Hollywood while crawling from his belly, a gay man from an upper middle class home in India who migrates to Hollywood in hopes of finding a career as an actor.
Such is not his fate after years of chasing roles even as Hollywood begins pivoting to a more race-conscious stance in its productions. Alas. Raj’s obsequious approach to life produces no roles, no creditability, a “career” at a yogurt stand, until he reads what must be the most demanding resume ever published for a personal assistant to serve a cinematic family. It requires a devotion beyond belief, a near-groveling sense of servitude to the family and their many, over-the-top needs. In other words, something that fits Raj’s personality exactly.
He may sweat a great deal, but he is not stupid. He carries on a lengthy campaign to work his way into the plush home and even more plush life of actor/director Jim L_, his wife Anna, who lives uncomfortably in the great man’s (nervous) shadow. Then there’s Peter, their child who seems closer to Raj yhan his own parents. Without the resume required for this job, paying $45,000 a year, Raj lies, makes phony dorsement phone calls to the highly suspicious woman who runs the household. Finally, he has his way. He is hired.
We see this family through Raj’s eye. It’s not a pretty picture. The amount of detail an assistant must handle is mind-boggling including custom food for the family dog that the family’s chef cooks- food that cost more than Raj’s salary. But he is up to the task, constantly smiling, constantly praising, constantly obsequious beyond even the family’s tolerance for that behavior.
And yet, they begin to depend on him. When they take meetings, he is there, but sits in the lobby, waiting like a faithful dog. When they have emotional panic about being invited to the Oscars and where they will be placed, Raj is there to comfort them. And when they get accepted, Raj is invited to go with them, if even to sit in a balcony but not with them.
What they don’t know is that the job description that got Raj his job is a ticking time bomb, especially when Raj becomes upset about his treatment. He is competent enough to make sure the document gets into the right social media hands with a little added gossip about what family it refers to.
Through all of this, Raj has one friend, an actor named Anthony and his wife who genuinely care for him and believe he has the talent to become a great actor. When he dies, unheralded, unknown, something changes in Raj which leads to an explosive final act that none of them could have imagined.
This is a remarkable novel on many fronts. It is about an unusual protagonist with a unique trajectory in Hollywood. It’s also literate as Raj compares his life through the lens of the 19th Century novel “Vanity Fair,” understanding through his reading of it his own complicity in Hollywood’s enduring focus on white privilege, and finally understand what he must do to challenge just his small role in it.
One final note: in the author’s acknowledgements, he credits someone, presumably his life partner “[who has] given me everything including his life story, which I have ripped off to compose this novel.” Let the gossip begin, even as the bids roll in to make a terrific movie of this most Hollywood of stories.
Such is not his fate after years of chasing roles even as Hollywood begins pivoting to a more race-conscious stance in its productions. Alas. Raj’s obsequious approach to life produces no roles, no creditability, a “career” at a yogurt stand, until he reads what must be the most demanding resume ever published for a personal assistant to serve a cinematic family. It requires a devotion beyond belief, a near-groveling sense of servitude to the family and their many, over-the-top needs. In other words, something that fits Raj’s personality exactly.
He may sweat a great deal, but he is not stupid. He carries on a lengthy campaign to work his way into the plush home and even more plush life of actor/director Jim L_, his wife Anna, who lives uncomfortably in the great man’s (nervous) shadow. Then there’s Peter, their child who seems closer to Raj yhan his own parents. Without the resume required for this job, paying $45,000 a year, Raj lies, makes phony dorsement phone calls to the highly suspicious woman who runs the household. Finally, he has his way. He is hired.
We see this family through Raj’s eye. It’s not a pretty picture. The amount of detail an assistant must handle is mind-boggling including custom food for the family dog that the family’s chef cooks- food that cost more than Raj’s salary. But he is up to the task, constantly smiling, constantly praising, constantly obsequious beyond even the family’s tolerance for that behavior.
And yet, they begin to depend on him. When they take meetings, he is there, but sits in the lobby, waiting like a faithful dog. When they have emotional panic about being invited to the Oscars and where they will be placed, Raj is there to comfort them. And when they get accepted, Raj is invited to go with them, if even to sit in a balcony but not with them.
What they don’t know is that the job description that got Raj his job is a ticking time bomb, especially when Raj becomes upset about his treatment. He is competent enough to make sure the document gets into the right social media hands with a little added gossip about what family it refers to.
Through all of this, Raj has one friend, an actor named Anthony and his wife who genuinely care for him and believe he has the talent to become a great actor. When he dies, unheralded, unknown, something changes in Raj which leads to an explosive final act that none of them could have imagined.
This is a remarkable novel on many fronts. It is about an unusual protagonist with a unique trajectory in Hollywood. It’s also literate as Raj compares his life through the lens of the 19th Century novel “Vanity Fair,” understanding through his reading of it his own complicity in Hollywood’s enduring focus on white privilege, and finally understand what he must do to challenge just his small role in it.
One final note: in the author’s acknowledgements, he credits someone, presumably his life partner “[who has] given me everything including his life story, which I have ripped off to compose this novel.” Let the gossip begin, even as the bids roll in to make a terrific movie of this most Hollywood of stories.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the worst book I've read in years by quite a large margin. I'd actually be relieved to discover this was done with AI, as opposed to a human being spending hours typing this garbage.
I was sent a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. My review is: "This book is awful."
This novel started with the description of a job, a resume, a series of e-mails begging for the aforementioned job, and then "The man sending these e-mails was, for our purposes, named Raj (or sometimes Ray) Ladlani. He was thirty-one years old but said he was twenty-six. He had dark coiled hair and feline eyes and a nose that was very Mughal, which is to say long and regal."
Three sentences later, the description "feline eyes" comes up again. We also see "coiled hair" or "hair with a coil" several times, and when we finally meet a second character, her "pulled back hair" comes up repeatedly.
I wish, for my purposes, that this book had a stricter editor, which is to say that I am ten percent through the book, and it can be summed up as "Lying actor wannabe with coiled hair fails to get job he is unqualified for, and is sad about it because he once read William Makepeace Thackery's book *Vanity Fair* using his feline eyes." But I'd have to use "for our purposes" multiple times "for reasons that may be apparent later."
Honestly, I'd be surprised if the printed version of this book wasn't in 24 cpi font and triple spaced to make it seem larger. The language is so padded. Instead of crying, the "(Raj) was surprised to find that his eyes were now growing wet."
The author neither trusts the reader to make their own conclusions, nor trusts himself to arrive at an interesting part of the story before the reader bails.
I am bailing.
I see some other reviews talking about how this book is hilarious, or "a riot." There isn't a joke within fifty miles of this book.
Reading this is like listening to a group of twenty year old writers pitching their memoirs about writing books before they've ever written a book.
I was sent a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. My review is: "This book is awful."
This novel started with the description of a job, a resume, a series of e-mails begging for the aforementioned job, and then "The man sending these e-mails was, for our purposes, named Raj (or sometimes Ray) Ladlani. He was thirty-one years old but said he was twenty-six. He had dark coiled hair and feline eyes and a nose that was very Mughal, which is to say long and regal."
Three sentences later, the description "feline eyes" comes up again. We also see "coiled hair" or "hair with a coil" several times, and when we finally meet a second character, her "pulled back hair" comes up repeatedly.
I wish, for my purposes, that this book had a stricter editor, which is to say that I am ten percent through the book, and it can be summed up as "Lying actor wannabe with coiled hair fails to get job he is unqualified for, and is sad about it because he once read William Makepeace Thackery's book *Vanity Fair* using his feline eyes." But I'd have to use "for our purposes" multiple times "for reasons that may be apparent later."
Honestly, I'd be surprised if the printed version of this book wasn't in 24 cpi font and triple spaced to make it seem larger. The language is so padded. Instead of crying, the "(Raj) was surprised to find that his eyes were now growing wet."
The author neither trusts the reader to make their own conclusions, nor trusts himself to arrive at an interesting part of the story before the reader bails.
I am bailing.
I see some other reviews talking about how this book is hilarious, or "a riot." There isn't a joke within fifty miles of this book.
Reading this is like listening to a group of twenty year old writers pitching their memoirs about writing books before they've ever written a book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Simp follows Raj, an unemployed actor, as he desperately pursues a new and unconventional avenue into the movie-making industry. After lying about his references and job experiences, Raj continues, through any means necessary, to try to fit the mold of a good personal assistant to one of Hollywood's leading directors and his wife.
This book managed to be both thought-provoking and fun at the same time. It deals with the topics of privilege and racism, in both Hollywood and beyond, while also discussing what it means to actually be truthful in a world built upon appearances. Sethi's writing is smart and compelling, which made it difficult to put this one down. Throughout the novel, there was this thread of just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for someone to trip up in one of their lies, and it made the reading experience incredibly engrossing.
Each character was also incredibly interesting and flawed in a way that was clearly deliberate. No one in this book is meant to be a hero, as the tagline so loudly proclaims from the outset, and Sethi was adept in pointing out their flaws and poking fun at the performance they were all putting on for one another, while also making the reader care about what happened next.
Personally, I did find the ending just the tiniest bit rushed. While it was clear that something was going to happen to these characters at some point, once that thing did happen, I wished we just had a few more pages to explore it and the consequences that stemmed from it.
If you're looking for a novel that is somehow both cleverly insightful and fun at the same time, definitely check this one out. I also think this one would work for anyone who is (rightfully) cynical about the lives of the Hollywood elite. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an Arc of this book!
This book managed to be both thought-provoking and fun at the same time. It deals with the topics of privilege and racism, in both Hollywood and beyond, while also discussing what it means to actually be truthful in a world built upon appearances. Sethi's writing is smart and compelling, which made it difficult to put this one down. Throughout the novel, there was this thread of just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for someone to trip up in one of their lies, and it made the reading experience incredibly engrossing.
Each character was also incredibly interesting and flawed in a way that was clearly deliberate. No one in this book is meant to be a hero, as the tagline so loudly proclaims from the outset, and Sethi was adept in pointing out their flaws and poking fun at the performance they were all putting on for one another, while also making the reader care about what happened next.
Personally, I did find the ending just the tiniest bit rushed. While it was clear that something was going to happen to these characters at some point, once that thing did happen, I wished we just had a few more pages to explore it and the consequences that stemmed from it.
If you're looking for a novel that is somehow both cleverly insightful and fun at the same time, definitely check this one out. I also think this one would work for anyone who is (rightfully) cynical about the lives of the Hollywood elite. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an Arc of this book!
December 20, 2025
(ARC - out 07/07/26 via Simon & Schuster) (4.5 rounded down) Spiky and sharp satire that touches on racism, celebrity culture, and identity among other topical themes, The Simp follows Raj (or Ray) as he begins a job as an assistant for a wealthy Hollywood power couple. The job, with copious responsibilities and a $45,000 payday, is treated as important and necessary as someone defusing a bomb. Raj himself is an extremely unreliable character (he’s the focal point, but the novel is written in third person). Raj is written as a pathetic liar, someone who sits on the periphery of fame and desperately imagines himself on the other side. The people he works for are vacuous and self-serving and living in a false reality that only Hollywood can provide. This is definitely satire (I think if you like Paul Beatty, you’d vibe hard with this) and it is frequently funny while also making you cringe. I really enjoyed it. It’s a novel with bad people that is fun to read and has something to say. My kind of fiction.
February 20, 2026
I was nervous to read this ARC since I felt its satire would be too high-brow for me. But I had more in common with an aspiring actor, Indian-American simp than I thought possible.
In some ways, this is a satire about Hollywood elites and how they live in a weird world nobody else understands or is part of and in some ways it’s about race. But mostly it felt like the desperation to achieve our dreams.
Raj was not a likable character. He definitely wasn’t a reliable narrator. His employers were in their own reality and jerks. Even his roommates were self-absorbed. The son was cool though. Although we saw hints he was a product of his parents.
The middle to end were much better than the first part. Probably because it took that long to understand Raj. In the end, this book made me think about how inauthentic everyone can be. Acting their way through life. On line in particular.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.
In some ways, this is a satire about Hollywood elites and how they live in a weird world nobody else understands or is part of and in some ways it’s about race. But mostly it felt like the desperation to achieve our dreams.
Raj was not a likable character. He definitely wasn’t a reliable narrator. His employers were in their own reality and jerks. Even his roommates were self-absorbed. The son was cool though. Although we saw hints he was a product of his parents.
The middle to end were much better than the first part. Probably because it took that long to understand Raj. In the end, this book made me think about how inauthentic everyone can be. Acting their way through life. On line in particular.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is about Raj, an actor in training who stumbles across a job posting by an absurdly wealthy and just absurd couple. Raj does everything in his power, and then some, to get the job. However, Raj is always preoccupied with something dark from his past that he hopes never arises for him again.
This is a well written, captivating story about power, racism and how it reaches internally, and emotions all in the meantime. Raj and how he navigates all this explores accountability, the limits of compassion, and what can happen the world makes clear to you that your existence and emotions are too threatening to those in power.
I was hooked right away and excited to turn the page. I've never read anything from this author before but now I will look out for him.
This is about Raj, an actor in training who stumbles across a job posting by an absurdly wealthy and just absurd couple. Raj does everything in his power, and then some, to get the job. However, Raj is always preoccupied with something dark from his past that he hopes never arises for him again.
This is a well written, captivating story about power, racism and how it reaches internally, and emotions all in the meantime. Raj and how he navigates all this explores accountability, the limits of compassion, and what can happen the world makes clear to you that your existence and emotions are too threatening to those in power.
I was hooked right away and excited to turn the page. I've never read anything from this author before but now I will look out for him.
November 27, 2025
I enjoyed reading this novel. I thought it was well written and found the character of Raj interesting to follow. I liked how he was building a character and performing as an actor, while also performing around famous people. The portrayal of the culture of fame and performance in Los Angeles felt incisive and authentic. The anxieties of people in hollywood were represented with dynamic characters in a witty way. The only reason I am not giving it four stars is because it did not leave much of an impression. I forgot most of what happened after I finished the book. If the premise sounds interesting to you, you should definitely read this book. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Thank you to #netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Thank you to #netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. I enjoyed reading The Simp. I liked how unreliable the narrator was, how he constantly lies to further his dreams, but also his relationship with truth, and with Anthony (they were my favorite duo). The beginning was the strongest part, once Raj got the job, I felt the parts after that were repetitive, but I did like how Vanity Fair is intertwined with the themes of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was expecting a funny take on a guy who works as a personal assistant for a celebrity director and his wife. I thought there would be madcap situations as he tried to juggle everything, lots of laughs, some misunderstandings, etc. Instead, I got an oddly written book that was just awful in my opinion. The writing style was odd, the wording was off putting, and if the unreliable narrator bit was supposed to be entertaining, it failed.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The book is an interesting portrayal of the lengths a desperate actor will go to, to get the job that he wants, which ironically isn't an acting job, but one as an assistant to a director. From the opening pages, we know this job entails doing a lot for little compensation. It is well-written and humorous.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
this book was extremely unique. it follows Raj, a hungry actor who cons his way through hollywood into an executive assistant position - but everything is a lie. the book follows his web of lies. will he get caught in it?
it is an interesting, well-paced, quick read that i hope many people will pick up when it comes out this summer.
thank you, netgalley, for the ARC!
it is an interesting, well-paced, quick read that i hope many people will pick up when it comes out this summer.
thank you, netgalley, for the ARC!
November 15, 2025
I tore through this novel. It’s brilliant, it’s a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off of (in the best way possible), and I need it to release sooner so I can convince everyone I know to read this.
tbr-arc
November 2, 2025i see absurdism, so i choose to stay
*thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC*
*thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC*
November 21, 2025
One of the best books I've read in a WHILE. Immersive, compulsively readable, funny.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the eARC!!!!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the eARC!!!!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews