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The Paper Wasp: A Novel
“Take The Talented Mr. Ripley, cross it with Suspiria, add a dash of La La Land and mix . . . and this arty psychological stalker novel is what might result.” —The New York Times Book ReviewNamed a Best Book of the Summer by The New York Times, O Magazine, Elle, Town & Country, Tatler, and Publishers Weekly and one of “5 books not to miss” by USA TodayIn small-town Michigan, Abby Graven leads a solitary life. Once a bright student on the cusp of a promising art career, she now languishes in her childhood home, trudging to and from her job as a supermarket cashier. Each day she is taunted from the magazine racks by the success of her former best friend Elise, a rising Hollywood starlet whose life in pictures Abby obsessively scrapbooks. At night, Abby escapes through the films of her favorite director, Auguste Perren, a cult figure known for his creative institute the Rhizome. Inspired by Perren, Abby draws fantastical storyboards based on her often premonitory dreams, a visionary gift she keeps hidden. When Abby encounters Elise again at their high school reunion, she’s surprised and warmed that Elise still considers her not only a friend but a brilliant storyteller and true artist. Elise’s unexpected faith in Abby reignites in her a dormant hunger, and when Elise offhandedly tells Abby to look her up if she’s ever in LA, Abby soon arrives on her doorstep. There, Abby discovers that while Elise is flourishing professionally, she is lonely and disillusioned behind her glossy magazine veneer. Ever the supportive friend, Abby becomes enmeshed in Elise’s world, even as she guards her own dark secret and burning desire for greatness. As she edges closer to Elise, the Rhizome, and her own artistic ambitions, the dynamic shifts between the two friends—until Abby can see only one way to grasp the future that awaits her.An electrifying novel by the author of The Wonder Garden, The Paper Wasp is a knife-edge story of dark friendship and twisted ambition against the backdrop of contemporary Hollywood.“[A] page turner . . . a stunning portrait of a fixated woman and an addictive, modern commentary on an eternal theme of obsession . . . Lauren Acampora gives us a soul trip/head trip/rarefied LA trip replete with surrealism and social commentary.” —Caroline Kepnes, author of You
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2019
219 people are currently reading
5727 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Acampora
7 books220 followersLauren Acampora is the author of two novels, The Paper Wasp and The Hundred Waters, and two collections of linked stories, The Wonder Garden and The Animal Room (June 2026), all published by Grove Atlantic. The Animal Room features the story “Dominion,” which was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2025.
The Hundred Waters was named one of Vogue’s best books of the year, a LitHub best book of the summer, and one of The Millions’ most-anticipated books of 2022.
Lauren’s first novel, The Paper Wasp was named a Best Summer Read by The New York Times Book Review, USA Today, Oprah Magazine, ELLE, Town & Country, BBC.com, Daily Mail (UK), Tatler, Thrillist, and Publishers Weekly, as well as a Best Indie Novel of 2019 by Chicago Review of Books. It was also longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.
The Wonder Garden, a debut collection of linked stories, was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and an Indie Next selection, and was chosen as one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon and NPR. It won the GLCA New Writers Award and was a finalist for the New England Book Award. It was on the longlist for The Story Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.
Lauren’s short fiction and other writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as The Paris Review, One Story, New England Review, Story Magazine, Guernica, Missouri Review, The Common, Prairie Schooner, Antioch Review, The New York Times, LitHub, and The Best American Short Stories 2025.
She graduated from Brown University, earned an MFA at Brooklyn College, and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Lauren lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.
The Hundred Waters was named one of Vogue’s best books of the year, a LitHub best book of the summer, and one of The Millions’ most-anticipated books of 2022.
Lauren’s first novel, The Paper Wasp was named a Best Summer Read by The New York Times Book Review, USA Today, Oprah Magazine, ELLE, Town & Country, BBC.com, Daily Mail (UK), Tatler, Thrillist, and Publishers Weekly, as well as a Best Indie Novel of 2019 by Chicago Review of Books. It was also longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.
The Wonder Garden, a debut collection of linked stories, was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and an Indie Next selection, and was chosen as one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon and NPR. It won the GLCA New Writers Award and was a finalist for the New England Book Award. It was on the longlist for The Story Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.
Lauren’s short fiction and other writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as The Paris Review, One Story, New England Review, Story Magazine, Guernica, Missouri Review, The Common, Prairie Schooner, Antioch Review, The New York Times, LitHub, and The Best American Short Stories 2025.
She graduated from Brown University, earned an MFA at Brooklyn College, and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Lauren lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 507 reviews
June 12, 2019
Lauren Acampora certainly makes an arresting debut in this literary psychological drama that showcases her beautiful and impressive writing skills. Abby Graven is the product of small town Michigan, where she still lives, a once promising art student whose star has fallen after she dropped out of university. She now lives a dreary and demoralising life working as a cashier in a supermarket, obsessively following, some might say stalking, her childhood best friend, now a Hollywood success story, the actress Elise. Abby is a weird loner, a misfit, escaping the drudgery of her life focusing on her favourite director, the experimental and cult figure, Auguste Perren, with his creative institute, the Rhizome. Acampora immerses us completely into the chilling, and the deeply dark waters that is the disturbing and unsettling psyche of the dangerously ambitious Abby, who in her head is convinced that she is out of step with the world because she is a superior artistic talent that others are just failing to comprehend.
At a school reunion, Abby once again connects with an inebriated Elise who not only remembers her fondly as her friend but recognises her artistic abilities, whilst offhandedly inviting Abby to see her, should she be in California. This tiny kernal of opportunity is all that Abby with her dreams needs to decamp to California, with Elise inviting Abby to stay with her, an error of judgement that will come back to haunt her. Abby insinuates herself into the lonely and disillusioned Elise's life, becoming her personal assistant. Before long, the restless Abby becomes disenchanted with her role as the supportive friend, resentful, jealous and envious. She believes in the prescient abilities of her dreams, of her greatness in art, of her total commitment to Perren, that she is surrounded by shallow mediocrity, that she can realise her ambitions, a dream world slowly curdling into nightmares.
Acampora blurs realities, making it hard to distinguish what is real and what is a product of mental illness and psychosis, Abby's dreams can feel like vivid hallucinations. Her characterisation of Abby is mesmerising, a woman with an unreliable grasp of the world as she slips into her psychopathic persona. This is an offbeat and strange novel with a narrative underlaid with a growing sense of menace and unease, with its exploration of the complex toxic relationship between Abby and Elise, and the unrelenting focus on the unreliable, deluded and delusional Abby. All of this, along with the brilliant prose kept me engrossed if occasionally baffled. The fantastical dream aspects of this novel are likely to be a deal breaker for many readers, but for those who like to venture into the darkest of reads and are looking for something different, this novel just might fit the bill. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
At a school reunion, Abby once again connects with an inebriated Elise who not only remembers her fondly as her friend but recognises her artistic abilities, whilst offhandedly inviting Abby to see her, should she be in California. This tiny kernal of opportunity is all that Abby with her dreams needs to decamp to California, with Elise inviting Abby to stay with her, an error of judgement that will come back to haunt her. Abby insinuates herself into the lonely and disillusioned Elise's life, becoming her personal assistant. Before long, the restless Abby becomes disenchanted with her role as the supportive friend, resentful, jealous and envious. She believes in the prescient abilities of her dreams, of her greatness in art, of her total commitment to Perren, that she is surrounded by shallow mediocrity, that she can realise her ambitions, a dream world slowly curdling into nightmares.
Acampora blurs realities, making it hard to distinguish what is real and what is a product of mental illness and psychosis, Abby's dreams can feel like vivid hallucinations. Her characterisation of Abby is mesmerising, a woman with an unreliable grasp of the world as she slips into her psychopathic persona. This is an offbeat and strange novel with a narrative underlaid with a growing sense of menace and unease, with its exploration of the complex toxic relationship between Abby and Elise, and the unrelenting focus on the unreliable, deluded and delusional Abby. All of this, along with the brilliant prose kept me engrossed if occasionally baffled. The fantastical dream aspects of this novel are likely to be a deal breaker for many readers, but for those who like to venture into the darkest of reads and are looking for something different, this novel just might fit the bill. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
April 26, 2019
3.5 This is one of the those books that you finish reading and wonder what is was you just read. Not because I didn't understand it, or at least most of it, but because it was so different, so strange. It's very strangeness is also what I found intriguing. From the beginning it had snow ominious tone, that increases as one reads. Abbi, once had alot of promise, but ultimately found her life unfulfilling. Her early friendship with Elise, a friendship that meant everything, becomes estranged when Elise goes to Hollywood, on her way to becoming a star. They reconnect at their ten year school reunion and eventually Abbi makes her way to Hollywid and immerses herself in Elises life.
A novel of obsession, stalking, amongst the Hollywood of cults, hidden directors that prey in the literal sense of it's stars. A mysterious director of cult films, that Abbi had long been obsessed with, and his mysterious institute. Abbi lives inside her dream life, and dreams are what send many to Hollywood, but are the dreams real?
I loved this authors first book, a book of connecting stories that were also very different. This her first novel, and like her first exceedingly well written. Can the stuff of dreams turn into a nightmare? Can dreams become a persons reality?
"You hadn't been filled, over all these years,but had been left carefully hollow. This, I imagined, was why actresses cracked so easily with age, like glass vases--why they were so swiftly and thoroughly ruined."
"For so long I'd intended to the winds of suggestion, relied on the subtle cues of the universe and my own sublimal moods. It's difficult, impossible really, for any of us to know all the ways were tethered to unknown forces, or to gauge the true reasons for our actions. Were open-pored beings, after all. We're lotus roots suspended in the Spring and haired with tentacles, instinctual creatures wearing halos of consciousness."
What would you be willing to do, how far would you go, to make your dreams s reality?
ARC from Edelweiss.
A novel of obsession, stalking, amongst the Hollywood of cults, hidden directors that prey in the literal sense of it's stars. A mysterious director of cult films, that Abbi had long been obsessed with, and his mysterious institute. Abbi lives inside her dream life, and dreams are what send many to Hollywood, but are the dreams real?
I loved this authors first book, a book of connecting stories that were also very different. This her first novel, and like her first exceedingly well written. Can the stuff of dreams turn into a nightmare? Can dreams become a persons reality?
"You hadn't been filled, over all these years,but had been left carefully hollow. This, I imagined, was why actresses cracked so easily with age, like glass vases--why they were so swiftly and thoroughly ruined."
"For so long I'd intended to the winds of suggestion, relied on the subtle cues of the universe and my own sublimal moods. It's difficult, impossible really, for any of us to know all the ways were tethered to unknown forces, or to gauge the true reasons for our actions. Were open-pored beings, after all. We're lotus roots suspended in the Spring and haired with tentacles, instinctual creatures wearing halos of consciousness."
What would you be willing to do, how far would you go, to make your dreams s reality?
ARC from Edelweiss.
January 10, 2019
I am still a huge fan of “The Wonder Garden”,
written by Lauren Acampora. After reading an early advance copy...
I later bought the hardcopy.
It’s still one of my most favorite unusual- riveting collection of short - linked - stories I’ve ever read. It’s so brilliantly crafted - so mind blowing fascinating and brilliant - taking place in upper-class suburbia -
that I was beyond excited to read this next book.
This book starts out grabbing my attention - dark-creepy-mysterious- ( different than “The Wonder Garden”, but hooking me in with curiosity to keep reading.
Lauren is a skillful exceptional writer.
The two quotes before the book begins are thought provoking and gives a clue of what we are in for;
“If the dream is translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream”. Rene Margritte
“In each of us there is another whom we do not know” — C.G. Jung
Abby hasn’t seen Elise Van Dijk since they graduated High School. Elise was glamorous. She’s a movie actress living in Los Angeles.
In Abby’s high school year book, Elise wrote
“Abby, I’m sorry we’re not close anymore, but I hope we will be again someday”. My love always, Elise.
What Elise wrote in Abby’s yearbook.. about sorry we are not close anymore - but WISHES to be again — brought up feelings of wonder. And as I kept reading - I felt sadness for how much struggle it is for people to love each other....
Is it ego? jealousy? assumptions? manipulations? narcissism? mental unstableness? >> that friends struggle with to attain purity of deep friendship?
Lauren gives us characters that are imperfect and a story that allows us to observe two very different type of women.
She guides her twisty story with an organic ear for satire.... yet, at the same time - we are exploring relationships that are familiar and real.
The title is fitting. Paper wasps - not aggressive in nature - will sting if disturbed.
Although - this book isn’t mind blowing phenomenal to me as “The Wonder Garden” was ... ( with parts of the storytelling feeling weary to me), its brimming with intrigue- attempting to make sense of the senseless.
I’ll read ANYTHING by Lauren ... she makes me think and is a clever writer.
Spending time with her prose gives me a quiet warm body charge.
Thank you - always - to Grove Atlantic, Netgalley, and Lauren Acampora! Love her!!!!
written by Lauren Acampora. After reading an early advance copy...
I later bought the hardcopy.
It’s still one of my most favorite unusual- riveting collection of short - linked - stories I’ve ever read. It’s so brilliantly crafted - so mind blowing fascinating and brilliant - taking place in upper-class suburbia -
that I was beyond excited to read this next book.
This book starts out grabbing my attention - dark-creepy-mysterious- ( different than “The Wonder Garden”, but hooking me in with curiosity to keep reading.
Lauren is a skillful exceptional writer.
The two quotes before the book begins are thought provoking and gives a clue of what we are in for;
“If the dream is translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream”. Rene Margritte
“In each of us there is another whom we do not know” — C.G. Jung
Abby hasn’t seen Elise Van Dijk since they graduated High School. Elise was glamorous. She’s a movie actress living in Los Angeles.
In Abby’s high school year book, Elise wrote
“Abby, I’m sorry we’re not close anymore, but I hope we will be again someday”. My love always, Elise.
What Elise wrote in Abby’s yearbook.. about sorry we are not close anymore - but WISHES to be again — brought up feelings of wonder. And as I kept reading - I felt sadness for how much struggle it is for people to love each other....
Is it ego? jealousy? assumptions? manipulations? narcissism? mental unstableness? >> that friends struggle with to attain purity of deep friendship?
Lauren gives us characters that are imperfect and a story that allows us to observe two very different type of women.
She guides her twisty story with an organic ear for satire.... yet, at the same time - we are exploring relationships that are familiar and real.
The title is fitting. Paper wasps - not aggressive in nature - will sting if disturbed.
Although - this book isn’t mind blowing phenomenal to me as “The Wonder Garden” was ... ( with parts of the storytelling feeling weary to me), its brimming with intrigue- attempting to make sense of the senseless.
I’ll read ANYTHING by Lauren ... she makes me think and is a clever writer.
Spending time with her prose gives me a quiet warm body charge.
Thank you - always - to Grove Atlantic, Netgalley, and Lauren Acampora! Love her!!!!
January 29, 2019
Cynical Abby is 28, working at a grocery store, living with her parents and hiding from the world. She is obsessed with her childhood best friend, Elise, who is making movies in Hollywood. Abby follows Elise's every move and keeps a scrapbook full of pictures and articles about her. Her fondest memories are of the stories she used to write for Elise to act out, when they were children. Now Abby spends time in her bedroom, drawing her vivid dreams and imagining her favorite director, Auguste Perren, directing movies based on her artwork.
Elise graces the school with an appearance at their 10th high school reunion and gushes about her fond memories of Abby writing stories for Elise to act out. When Elise mentions that Abby should visit her in Hollywood, little does she know that Abby will do just that...dropping in on her unannounced. The unexpected visit turns into Abby living with Elise and working as her assistant. During this time Abby goes from being obsessed with Elise to resenting Elise for many reasons.
Abby is very unstable and her dreams are a big part of the way she sees the world. In fact, her dreams are so vivid that she is basically following them, using the dreams to determine where she goes and what she does. Abby is brilliant and uses that brilliance in a demented way, after all those years of languishing in her bedroom, at her parents house. As she gains confidence from her dreams, she manipulates, lies, and steals her way to making her dreams come true. I was horrified that she could so callously treat people the way she treated them, do the things she does, and have no remorse over what she does.
The entire book is told from Abby's viewpoint and that clouds everything because Abby's thinking is so warped. It's hard to understand just how real her dreams are and how people really see her. The end of the book is strange because it's hard to believe Abby's version of where she ends up but at the same time, her REAL obsession may have allowed her to get there.
The writing is very good but I would have liked more help in understanding what was real and what might have been Abby's imagination. Mostly I came away from the book feeling sad for the people who came in contact with Abby. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.
Elise graces the school with an appearance at their 10th high school reunion and gushes about her fond memories of Abby writing stories for Elise to act out. When Elise mentions that Abby should visit her in Hollywood, little does she know that Abby will do just that...dropping in on her unannounced. The unexpected visit turns into Abby living with Elise and working as her assistant. During this time Abby goes from being obsessed with Elise to resenting Elise for many reasons.
Abby is very unstable and her dreams are a big part of the way she sees the world. In fact, her dreams are so vivid that she is basically following them, using the dreams to determine where she goes and what she does. Abby is brilliant and uses that brilliance in a demented way, after all those years of languishing in her bedroom, at her parents house. As she gains confidence from her dreams, she manipulates, lies, and steals her way to making her dreams come true. I was horrified that she could so callously treat people the way she treated them, do the things she does, and have no remorse over what she does.
The entire book is told from Abby's viewpoint and that clouds everything because Abby's thinking is so warped. It's hard to understand just how real her dreams are and how people really see her. The end of the book is strange because it's hard to believe Abby's version of where she ends up but at the same time, her REAL obsession may have allowed her to get there.
The writing is very good but I would have liked more help in understanding what was real and what might have been Abby's imagination. Mostly I came away from the book feeling sad for the people who came in contact with Abby. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.
December 1, 2018
This book immediately captivated me with it's subliminal darkness and the arresting characterization of a woman, Abby, as she teeters on the edge of mental instability. I easily breezed through this story in one day as I felt like I was rubbernecking a slow motion fatal car wreck in progress, unable to turn away.
The entire story is told through Abby's perception of her world and the people in it leaving the reader to constantly question the reliability of the narration.
I am a huge fan of immersive stories such as this one. I would much rather spend 300+ pages doing nothing but burrowing into the unsettled mind of one character over reading about one, or many, superficial characters being led by the plot rather than driving it.
Sadly, this is one of those books that I know will not be embraced by most readers because it doesn't fit the industry mold that is fed daily to the open-mouthed masses.
Laura Acampora is an incredibly talented writer with an uncanny ability to conjure fantastical images and easily deliver them into vivid reality. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The entire story is told through Abby's perception of her world and the people in it leaving the reader to constantly question the reliability of the narration.
I am a huge fan of immersive stories such as this one. I would much rather spend 300+ pages doing nothing but burrowing into the unsettled mind of one character over reading about one, or many, superficial characters being led by the plot rather than driving it.
Sadly, this is one of those books that I know will not be embraced by most readers because it doesn't fit the industry mold that is fed daily to the open-mouthed masses.
Laura Acampora is an incredibly talented writer with an uncanny ability to conjure fantastical images and easily deliver them into vivid reality. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 26, 2019
RTC? Hopefully something once I figure out what I just read.
Definitely different, interesting yet disturbing.
________________________________
So even after one month, I am still not sure I can review this book because simply put, I just don't know how! Like I said before, this book is definitely different, interesting and disturbing. I really liked the writing and the story, while you read it, is easy to follow except that you just can't pinpoint what hit you once you are done reading the book.
The cover picture is gorgeous and the title is perfectly apt for the book and deserve their own star. This is the author's debut novel and all I can say is I am perfectly game for reading more of her work in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Grove Press and the author Lauren Acampora for providing me with an e-ARC of the book to read and review.
Definitely different, interesting yet disturbing.
________________________________
So even after one month, I am still not sure I can review this book because simply put, I just don't know how! Like I said before, this book is definitely different, interesting and disturbing. I really liked the writing and the story, while you read it, is easy to follow except that you just can't pinpoint what hit you once you are done reading the book.
The cover picture is gorgeous and the title is perfectly apt for the book and deserve their own star. This is the author's debut novel and all I can say is I am perfectly game for reading more of her work in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Grove Press and the author Lauren Acampora for providing me with an e-ARC of the book to read and review.
May 21, 2019
One of my favorite things to read about are toxic women friendships. It's sort of like book crack to me and it brings to mind last years Social Creature or more recently Necessary People which are two books that have become favorites of mine so requesting The Paper Wasp really was a no brainer for me.
We have two childhood best friends that grow up in a small town in Michigan, Abby and Elise. As high school approaches the two begin to drift apart as Elise decides to pursue her dream of acting. Eventually the two no longer speak at all but that doesn't stop Abby from obsessing over Elise.
Fast forward several years and we find that Elise is now a very successful actress living in Los Angeles while Abby is a supermarket cashier that still lives at home with her parents creating art in her bedroom. She hoards every magazine and article she can find on Elise and follows her life with a close yet critical eye.
Abby's mother convinces her to attend her 10 year high school reunion and here she reacquaints herself with Elise who, while tipsy on wine, tells Abby "Next time your in LA, look me up and we'll catch up." Much to Elise's surprise when Abby calls to tell her she's at LAX with nowhere to go. Elise reluctantly takes her in for what she believes to be one night.
As Elise and Abby catch up over dinner and wine Elise is reminded of how close they once were and how lonely her life has now become and convinces Abby to stay, live with her, and to be her personal assistant and Abby is over the moon. This is what she has wanted for all these years but sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.
This had all the elements that I love but I'll be honest and say that this one fell flat for me and I know exactly why it did. The dream sequences. These just didn't work for me at all. Abby is a believer in lucid dreaming and she takes these dreams and then creates pictures and stories from them but, my gawd, reading about her dreams was like dropping acid and having a really bad trip and I just couldn't wait to be done. The ending I also found unsatisfying. 3 stars!
This isn't a case of quality but more of a book not being a good fit for me. Acampora's writing is impeccable and I will gladly seek out more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
We have two childhood best friends that grow up in a small town in Michigan, Abby and Elise. As high school approaches the two begin to drift apart as Elise decides to pursue her dream of acting. Eventually the two no longer speak at all but that doesn't stop Abby from obsessing over Elise.
Fast forward several years and we find that Elise is now a very successful actress living in Los Angeles while Abby is a supermarket cashier that still lives at home with her parents creating art in her bedroom. She hoards every magazine and article she can find on Elise and follows her life with a close yet critical eye.
Abby's mother convinces her to attend her 10 year high school reunion and here she reacquaints herself with Elise who, while tipsy on wine, tells Abby "Next time your in LA, look me up and we'll catch up." Much to Elise's surprise when Abby calls to tell her she's at LAX with nowhere to go. Elise reluctantly takes her in for what she believes to be one night.
As Elise and Abby catch up over dinner and wine Elise is reminded of how close they once were and how lonely her life has now become and convinces Abby to stay, live with her, and to be her personal assistant and Abby is over the moon. This is what she has wanted for all these years but sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.
This had all the elements that I love but I'll be honest and say that this one fell flat for me and I know exactly why it did. The dream sequences. These just didn't work for me at all. Abby is a believer in lucid dreaming and she takes these dreams and then creates pictures and stories from them but, my gawd, reading about her dreams was like dropping acid and having a really bad trip and I just couldn't wait to be done. The ending I also found unsatisfying. 3 stars!
This isn't a case of quality but more of a book not being a good fit for me. Acampora's writing is impeccable and I will gladly seek out more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read
June 12, 2019DNF @ 15% . Not my cup of tea :-(
November 28, 2018
After completing this book, I wasn’t sure exactly what I had just read. I fluctuated from thinking the main character, Abby, was mentally ill to wondering if I was just missing the entire point of the novel. I think it might be a little of both.
Abby is a dispirited young woman living with her equally despondent parents in Michigan. Her older sister has become enmeshed in drugs and sex and any closeness Abby may have had with her has long disappeared. Abby spends her days creating fantastical and elaborate drawings based on her dreams, and it’s clear that she has talent.
At her 10 year high school reunion, Abby reconnects with Elise, her childhood best friend. Elise is now a burgeoning movie star, and Abby devises a plan to move to California to be close to Elise and hopefully fulfill her own dreams involving her art. Dreams are actually a dominant theme in the book, and through descriptions of Abby’s, I began to question her sanity. Abby has an intense desire to meet and follow the teachings of an elusive, yet powerful figure named Perren, who has created a following through an organization known as Rhizome, in which members are “interviewed” on their dreams. I must admit, the detailed descriptions of her dreams and the “teachings” related to them seemed pretty far out and too bizarre for me to follow or stay interested.
Abby continues to weave plans and follow them toward a future that she envisions, eventually showing a very dark side to her character which affects her relationships with others. At this point, I was ready to just quit reading, as the whole book seemed like a fantasy novel, which I wasn’t expecting. I stuck with it, to see what would happen, and the ending was just as peculiar as the events leading up to it.
Although not to my taste, the writing was well done and I can see that others who are interested in dark fantasy might enjoy it. For that, I give it 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Abby is a dispirited young woman living with her equally despondent parents in Michigan. Her older sister has become enmeshed in drugs and sex and any closeness Abby may have had with her has long disappeared. Abby spends her days creating fantastical and elaborate drawings based on her dreams, and it’s clear that she has talent.
At her 10 year high school reunion, Abby reconnects with Elise, her childhood best friend. Elise is now a burgeoning movie star, and Abby devises a plan to move to California to be close to Elise and hopefully fulfill her own dreams involving her art. Dreams are actually a dominant theme in the book, and through descriptions of Abby’s, I began to question her sanity. Abby has an intense desire to meet and follow the teachings of an elusive, yet powerful figure named Perren, who has created a following through an organization known as Rhizome, in which members are “interviewed” on their dreams. I must admit, the detailed descriptions of her dreams and the “teachings” related to them seemed pretty far out and too bizarre for me to follow or stay interested.
Abby continues to weave plans and follow them toward a future that she envisions, eventually showing a very dark side to her character which affects her relationships with others. At this point, I was ready to just quit reading, as the whole book seemed like a fantasy novel, which I wasn’t expecting. I stuck with it, to see what would happen, and the ending was just as peculiar as the events leading up to it.
Although not to my taste, the writing was well done and I can see that others who are interested in dark fantasy might enjoy it. For that, I give it 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 13, 2019
Abby Graven was a high school misfit, and has never quite grown out of the idea that she's weird and special and doesn't belong because she's superior. Abby's compulsion is art. Her drawings are based on her own recurring dreams – 'the satyr dream', 'the dream of the house on the hill', among others – of which she has created hundreds of elaborate illustrations. She fancies herself an acolyte of experimental filmmaker Auguste Perren, and follows his creative techniques religiously; everything, for Abby, comes back to Perren. He runs an academy in Los Angeles called the Rhizome, and Abby dreams of going there and having him turn her art into films: 'although remote, I was Perren's best student'. When she's anxious, she quiets herself with a 'Perrenian exercise' called Unity Gain, based on an audio-engineering term that refers to 'the equalizing of input and output':
Abby's obsessions – her dreams, Perren's films, the fantasy of attending the Rhizome – coalesce in her fixation with Elise Van Dijk, an up-and-coming actress from her hometown. As children, the two girls were close friends; when the teenage Elise started acting, they grew apart, and Abby alienated everyone else by becoming a diehard Perren fanatic. Since then, she's been stewing in her childhood bedroom, making her drawings, re-watching and reading Perren's works, and collecting magazine cuttings of Elise. Then she and Elise drunkenly reconnect at a school reunion. And that's how, at the beginning of The Paper Wasp, Abby comes to be on a flight to LA, the city that's home to both Elise and the Rhizome.
There are echoes of Olivia Sudjic's Sympathy in Abby's somewhat delusional approach to her relationship with Elise. Actually, she has a somewhat delusional approach to everything, though it's rarely far-fetched enough to make the reader feel estranged from the character. I was horribly nervous whenever she referred to the magnificence of her own art – and insatiably curious too, dying to know whether at some point someone else would reveal it as nonsense, like that chilling moment with John Fenton's 'daubings' in Daphne du Maurier's story 'The Alibi'. I'm not going to tell you whether that happens – but it's not like anything Abby says can be relied upon, anyway.
So much of The Paper Wasp, from minor details to the whole of the epilogue, could be seen as an extension of Abby's fantasies. Who's to say what's 'real' for a person who believes her dreams are prophetic and/or reveal 'truths' she has no real-world access to? At several points Abby's dreams seem to lead her to revelations, but it's never clear whether she's actually right or whether she simply takes innocuous signals from others as confirmation. And the esoteric techniques employed by the Rhizome, at which she supposedly excels, seem like typical LA hokum. All this uncertainty will either thrill or frustrate you: happily, I fell into the first category.
Some of the terms used here take work to untangle. A rhizome is a type of stem system common to invasive/aggressive plants, and the philosophical concept of the rhizome, developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, applies biological ideas to theory and knowledge. The example of an orchid which attracts wasps to facilitate pollination is used to represent mutualism, interaction between two different species for mutual benefit. (There is no specific reference to paper wasps – a different family of wasps to those used in the mutualism example – in the book, so the title is something of a mystery. I have to wonder whether it would have been called The Orchid and the Wasp, which would make a great deal more sense, had a novel of that name not been published last year.) All this philosophising culminates in a passage of typical Abby-speak which captures the character's pretension and sense of 'otherness' perfectly:
The Paper Wasp is a bit of a difficult one to sell. The blurb for the UK edition describes it as 'an electrifying debut novel of two women's friendship, a haunting obsession and twisted ambition, set against the feverish backdrop of contemporary Hollywood' – not entirely inaccurate, but makes it sound more focused, more plot-driven, and less weird than it really is. (The disconnect can be seen in the number of Goodreads reviews for the book which contain variations on 'what did I just read?'.) For me, the natural reference points are the aforementioned Sympathy, with its eccentric, elusive protagonist, and Laura van den Berg's The Third Hotel, which similarly takes a normal(ish) premise into vaguely psychedelic territory. I liked it a lot, but it's an odd mixture – both bizarre and banal.
I received an advance review copy of The Paper Wasp from the publisher through NetGalley.
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When I attained Unity Gain, my anxiety diminished. I could retreat temporarily through an inlet to the unconscious, and invert my surroundings into benign mindscapes. Most of the time I held a light mastery over these visions. But occasionally I lost control, and the visions skidded into nightmare.
Abby's obsessions – her dreams, Perren's films, the fantasy of attending the Rhizome – coalesce in her fixation with Elise Van Dijk, an up-and-coming actress from her hometown. As children, the two girls were close friends; when the teenage Elise started acting, they grew apart, and Abby alienated everyone else by becoming a diehard Perren fanatic. Since then, she's been stewing in her childhood bedroom, making her drawings, re-watching and reading Perren's works, and collecting magazine cuttings of Elise. Then she and Elise drunkenly reconnect at a school reunion. And that's how, at the beginning of The Paper Wasp, Abby comes to be on a flight to LA, the city that's home to both Elise and the Rhizome.
There are echoes of Olivia Sudjic's Sympathy in Abby's somewhat delusional approach to her relationship with Elise. Actually, she has a somewhat delusional approach to everything, though it's rarely far-fetched enough to make the reader feel estranged from the character. I was horribly nervous whenever she referred to the magnificence of her own art – and insatiably curious too, dying to know whether at some point someone else would reveal it as nonsense, like that chilling moment with John Fenton's 'daubings' in Daphne du Maurier's story 'The Alibi'. I'm not going to tell you whether that happens – but it's not like anything Abby says can be relied upon, anyway.
So much of The Paper Wasp, from minor details to the whole of the epilogue, could be seen as an extension of Abby's fantasies. Who's to say what's 'real' for a person who believes her dreams are prophetic and/or reveal 'truths' she has no real-world access to? At several points Abby's dreams seem to lead her to revelations, but it's never clear whether she's actually right or whether she simply takes innocuous signals from others as confirmation. And the esoteric techniques employed by the Rhizome, at which she supposedly excels, seem like typical LA hokum. All this uncertainty will either thrill or frustrate you: happily, I fell into the first category.
Some of the terms used here take work to untangle. A rhizome is a type of stem system common to invasive/aggressive plants, and the philosophical concept of the rhizome, developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, applies biological ideas to theory and knowledge. The example of an orchid which attracts wasps to facilitate pollination is used to represent mutualism, interaction between two different species for mutual benefit. (There is no specific reference to paper wasps – a different family of wasps to those used in the mutualism example – in the book, so the title is something of a mystery. I have to wonder whether it would have been called The Orchid and the Wasp, which would make a great deal more sense, had a novel of that name not been published last year.) All this philosophising culminates in a passage of typical Abby-speak which captures the character's pretension and sense of 'otherness' perfectly:
When I dreamed, I felt the truth of it. I knew, as I slipped away from consciousness, that I was abandoning finitude. In dreaming, I tapped into a perpetual multiplicity. Perhaps the unconscious mind was orchidlike, folded inward, multiform—and consciousness was the vulgar protuberance that jutted from it, intent on dissemination.
The Paper Wasp is a bit of a difficult one to sell. The blurb for the UK edition describes it as 'an electrifying debut novel of two women's friendship, a haunting obsession and twisted ambition, set against the feverish backdrop of contemporary Hollywood' – not entirely inaccurate, but makes it sound more focused, more plot-driven, and less weird than it really is. (The disconnect can be seen in the number of Goodreads reviews for the book which contain variations on 'what did I just read?'.) For me, the natural reference points are the aforementioned Sympathy, with its eccentric, elusive protagonist, and Laura van den Berg's The Third Hotel, which similarly takes a normal(ish) premise into vaguely psychedelic territory. I liked it a lot, but it's an odd mixture – both bizarre and banal.
I received an advance review copy of The Paper Wasp from the publisher through NetGalley.
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August 24, 2019
Review originally appeared on Open Letters Review.
Landing somewhere in between Marisha Pessl's Night Film and You by Caroline Kepnes, Lauren Acampora's debut novel The Paper Wasp aims to disturb while it enraptures. A dreamlike combination of the pressures of Hollywood and the increasingly dangerous delusions of an unstable main character, the book personifies all the nasty and envious emotions stirred up by the all-too-frequent comparison exercises of one's own social media profiles to those of old schoolmates.
Abby Graven is a college dropout living with her parents in Michigan when she gets news that her childhood best friend Elise, now a rising starlet in Hollywood, will be in attendance at their ten year high school reunion. The two did not have a dramatic falling out, but rather a period of growing apart as is typical of friendships in the preteen years made all the more likely when one of the pair leaves town to pursue an acting career. Abby's wounds from losing her close friendship with Elise have never quite healed and she has obsessively followed her former friend's career from the very start. More than that, reoccurring dreams lead her to believe that their relationship is far from over. Their drunken encounter at said reunion cements this fact for Abby:
I took a last look at you. Your eyes stared up at me, my old friend, and I saw something pleading in them, imploring me. My dreams hadn't been wrong. They were never wrong; they were truer than life. As I held your gaze, I understood that our bond had never truly been broken. You needed me as much as ever.
This chilling use of the second person has the effect of creating lingering questions at the back of the reader's mind during the reading experience. Since Abby is directly addressing Elise through most of the book, is this a confession? Is this entire book a postmortem letter to Elise intended to clear things up or apologize? The perspective choice also insists we harbor suspicions about the true motivations and actions of the main character as we can see how she is nearly constantly disconnected from reality. It gives a sense that she is teetering on the edge of something desperate, providing the same uncomfortable compulsion to keep reading as does a work of true crime.
Through the events of the novel, we see that many of Abby's actions would indeed demand an apology from her. Shortly after their brief encounter at the reunion, Abby has another vivid dream, leading her to the unshakable conclusion that she must return to Elise. She steals her parents' credit card, flies to Los Angeles, and begins nestling into Elise's life like a tick. One would assume that the Hollywood star would be in no need of this brand of clingy friendship and would shake off Abby's stalker-like advances, but the pressures of fame and a burgeoning lack of trust in industry peers leads her to latch onto the familiar. Elise lets Abby move into her home and eventually hands her a job as her personal assistant.
While at first our main character may seem to be a run-of-the-mill moocher, her increasingly acidic commentary makes her all the more insidious. Abby doesn't only wish to live off of Elise, but she more and more begins to see her friend as a vehicle for her own artistic ambitions. In fact, she is adamant that she's the more talented and deserving of the pair of them. When Abby discovers that Elise is a member of the institution founded by fictional famed director Auguste Perren, a man whose work Abby has been bewitched by for years, she begins to take action on this sense of superiority. She weasels her way into sessions at this dream-focused institute called the Rhizome, giving her all the more powerful delusions of the clairvoyant power of her dreams.
Meanwhile, Elise remains ignorant of the trouble brewing inside her own home. Distracted by the demands of an upcoming role and concerns about her latest questionable romance, Elise needs the support of a friend that Abby willingly provides in droves. The dramatic irony builds as the severity of Abby's entitlement and resentment does. As much as these two characters seem to need each other, the audience knows the truth: this is not a symbiotic relationship. Abby is the parasite to Elise's host. We know it is only a matter of time before Abby claims what she believes is rightfully hers; we are only left to question what she is going to expropriate.
Any logistical concerns about the unlikely arrangement between Elise and Abby are more or less swatted away by the author who attempts to detract attention away from the milky and surreal sheen the book achieves. Yet there are very real questions left unanswered by the author's skewed focus on atmosphere. We needed to see Abby make to more trippy visits to the Rhizome in order to fully grasp their ideology and to build up a strong cult around Perren as the aforementioned Marisha Pessel did with Night Film's unnervingly realistic horror director Stanislas Cordova. To be fully sucked into Abby's mindset, it is necessary to understand the appeal of Perren's ideas to make sense of her idolization of him. In this book the director simply lacks the needed gravitational pull to make Abby's hero worship believable.
As a disturbing psychological thriller heavy in atmosphere that doubles as a cautionary tale of who we should allow reentry into our lives, this book mainly hits the mark. However, it does conclude leaving us with a feeling of longing and incompletion, not unlike what Abby felt for Elise in the years before they rekindled their friendship. A bizarre and hazy aura created by Abby's dreams and the churning sense of dread fostered by her delusions is muddled by inconsistent characterization and a lack of powerful narrative focus. Readers are left to turn to their own dreams to imagine what might have been had these elements been given their due.
Landing somewhere in between Marisha Pessl's Night Film and You by Caroline Kepnes, Lauren Acampora's debut novel The Paper Wasp aims to disturb while it enraptures. A dreamlike combination of the pressures of Hollywood and the increasingly dangerous delusions of an unstable main character, the book personifies all the nasty and envious emotions stirred up by the all-too-frequent comparison exercises of one's own social media profiles to those of old schoolmates.
Abby Graven is a college dropout living with her parents in Michigan when she gets news that her childhood best friend Elise, now a rising starlet in Hollywood, will be in attendance at their ten year high school reunion. The two did not have a dramatic falling out, but rather a period of growing apart as is typical of friendships in the preteen years made all the more likely when one of the pair leaves town to pursue an acting career. Abby's wounds from losing her close friendship with Elise have never quite healed and she has obsessively followed her former friend's career from the very start. More than that, reoccurring dreams lead her to believe that their relationship is far from over. Their drunken encounter at said reunion cements this fact for Abby:
I took a last look at you. Your eyes stared up at me, my old friend, and I saw something pleading in them, imploring me. My dreams hadn't been wrong. They were never wrong; they were truer than life. As I held your gaze, I understood that our bond had never truly been broken. You needed me as much as ever.
This chilling use of the second person has the effect of creating lingering questions at the back of the reader's mind during the reading experience. Since Abby is directly addressing Elise through most of the book, is this a confession? Is this entire book a postmortem letter to Elise intended to clear things up or apologize? The perspective choice also insists we harbor suspicions about the true motivations and actions of the main character as we can see how she is nearly constantly disconnected from reality. It gives a sense that she is teetering on the edge of something desperate, providing the same uncomfortable compulsion to keep reading as does a work of true crime.
Through the events of the novel, we see that many of Abby's actions would indeed demand an apology from her. Shortly after their brief encounter at the reunion, Abby has another vivid dream, leading her to the unshakable conclusion that she must return to Elise. She steals her parents' credit card, flies to Los Angeles, and begins nestling into Elise's life like a tick. One would assume that the Hollywood star would be in no need of this brand of clingy friendship and would shake off Abby's stalker-like advances, but the pressures of fame and a burgeoning lack of trust in industry peers leads her to latch onto the familiar. Elise lets Abby move into her home and eventually hands her a job as her personal assistant.
While at first our main character may seem to be a run-of-the-mill moocher, her increasingly acidic commentary makes her all the more insidious. Abby doesn't only wish to live off of Elise, but she more and more begins to see her friend as a vehicle for her own artistic ambitions. In fact, she is adamant that she's the more talented and deserving of the pair of them. When Abby discovers that Elise is a member of the institution founded by fictional famed director Auguste Perren, a man whose work Abby has been bewitched by for years, she begins to take action on this sense of superiority. She weasels her way into sessions at this dream-focused institute called the Rhizome, giving her all the more powerful delusions of the clairvoyant power of her dreams.
Meanwhile, Elise remains ignorant of the trouble brewing inside her own home. Distracted by the demands of an upcoming role and concerns about her latest questionable romance, Elise needs the support of a friend that Abby willingly provides in droves. The dramatic irony builds as the severity of Abby's entitlement and resentment does. As much as these two characters seem to need each other, the audience knows the truth: this is not a symbiotic relationship. Abby is the parasite to Elise's host. We know it is only a matter of time before Abby claims what she believes is rightfully hers; we are only left to question what she is going to expropriate.
Any logistical concerns about the unlikely arrangement between Elise and Abby are more or less swatted away by the author who attempts to detract attention away from the milky and surreal sheen the book achieves. Yet there are very real questions left unanswered by the author's skewed focus on atmosphere. We needed to see Abby make to more trippy visits to the Rhizome in order to fully grasp their ideology and to build up a strong cult around Perren as the aforementioned Marisha Pessel did with Night Film's unnervingly realistic horror director Stanislas Cordova. To be fully sucked into Abby's mindset, it is necessary to understand the appeal of Perren's ideas to make sense of her idolization of him. In this book the director simply lacks the needed gravitational pull to make Abby's hero worship believable.
As a disturbing psychological thriller heavy in atmosphere that doubles as a cautionary tale of who we should allow reentry into our lives, this book mainly hits the mark. However, it does conclude leaving us with a feeling of longing and incompletion, not unlike what Abby felt for Elise in the years before they rekindled their friendship. A bizarre and hazy aura created by Abby's dreams and the churning sense of dread fostered by her delusions is muddled by inconsistent characterization and a lack of powerful narrative focus. Readers are left to turn to their own dreams to imagine what might have been had these elements been given their due.
May 8, 2019
Meet Abby, a sensitive, highly intuitive, creative loner, working at a local grocery store.
At a highschool reunion she catches up with Elise, her childhood friend, now an upcoming Hollywood actress.
In a haze of alcohol the woman exchange numbers, and some time later Abby finally finds the courage to give up her petty existance and travel to Los Angeles. Elise hires her as a personal assistant and for a while things look rosy.
The book deals with the dynamics between an authentic dreamscaper and a shallow actress.
Their friendship is pushed and pulled by a dominating Elise, who has no clue about how to be her own true self.
We move with Abby from dreamscape to dreamscape, the weird and the wonderful, the love and the hurt, until detachment sets in and Abby finds her way out.
The Paper Wasp is a fast and furious read, the writing stunning beyond belief. The characters are indepth and totally recognizable. Throughout the dreamscapes the reader gets a sense of what's coming, and when it finally does, it's miraculous.
Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
At a highschool reunion she catches up with Elise, her childhood friend, now an upcoming Hollywood actress.
In a haze of alcohol the woman exchange numbers, and some time later Abby finally finds the courage to give up her petty existance and travel to Los Angeles. Elise hires her as a personal assistant and for a while things look rosy.
The book deals with the dynamics between an authentic dreamscaper and a shallow actress.
Their friendship is pushed and pulled by a dominating Elise, who has no clue about how to be her own true self.
We move with Abby from dreamscape to dreamscape, the weird and the wonderful, the love and the hurt, until detachment sets in and Abby finds her way out.
The Paper Wasp is a fast and furious read, the writing stunning beyond belief. The characters are indepth and totally recognizable. Throughout the dreamscapes the reader gets a sense of what's coming, and when it finally does, it's miraculous.
Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
November 14, 2018
"Paper Wasp: These stinging insects are semi-social creatures, as they typically live in small colonies but do not have a worker caste....their territoriality can lead to attacks on people, and because their stings are quite painful and can produce a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction in some individuals," Wikipedia
The novel is aptly named.
Two childhood bestfriends, one a Hollywood starlet the other a brilliant but mental college burnout reunite at their high school reunion. Neither character particularly likeable, yet so compelling.
Laura Acampora is quite talented. Beautiful writing, wonderful use of language, and an instinctual ability to engross the reader through a very uncomfortable story. Definitely an author to keep on your radar.
I received an ARC from publisher Grove Press and NetGalley. Thank you!
The novel is aptly named.
Two childhood bestfriends, one a Hollywood starlet the other a brilliant but mental college burnout reunite at their high school reunion. Neither character particularly likeable, yet so compelling.
Laura Acampora is quite talented. Beautiful writing, wonderful use of language, and an instinctual ability to engross the reader through a very uncomfortable story. Definitely an author to keep on your radar.
I received an ARC from publisher Grove Press and NetGalley. Thank you!
June 25, 2019
The writing was really engaging but the story didnt capture me, and the 'cult'-part was grossly underdevelopped and came across as rather silly.
2.5*
2.5*
May 6, 2019
Abby had a promising art career to look forward to after high school but finds herself still living at home with her parents and working as a cashier. She spends a lot of her time flipping through the magazines by her register hoping to spot her former BFF Elise, who is quickly gaining popularity as a Hollywood actress.
Abby learns that Elise will be at their ten year high school reunion and she decides to attend in hopes of speaking with Elise once again. She's surprised to find that Elise remains as kind and warm as ever, praising Abby's art and confiding she hopes they can be close again one day.
Abby surprises Elise soon after the reunion when she calls her from the airport to say she's in California without a plan. Caught off guard, Elise invites Abby to her home but her uncertainty soon turns to happiness to have someone in which she can confide.
Abby is only too happy to accept Elise's invitation to stay at her home. She quickly realizes that Elise's professional career is thriving but the young actress is lonely.
Acting as a supportive friend, Abby is soon part of every aspect of Elise's life, even becoming her personal assistant.
Masking her jealousy and ulterior motives, she becomes the only person Elise can trust, ultimately leading to a dark finale.
"I let you believe the world awaited me with the same hunger it awaited you. But the truth was that, as you were born to be seen, I was born to crouch in the shadows. I was the hidden source, quietly generating the scenes you played out. I knew this, even if I didn't yet recognize mine as the superior gift." *
The Paper Wasp is a chilling book. What starts as a seemingly average tale of a woman down on her luck who does some relatively innocent social media stalking to keep up with a more successful former friend becomes a story of obsession, ambition, and finally psychotic behavior. Some of the events seem random or unimportant but they eventually come together for the ending. Sprinkle in a dash of magic realism in the form of premonitory dreams/visions and you have a rather odd novel.
I like odd, mostly because it's so open to interpretation.
Thanks to Grove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Paper Wasp is scheduled for release on June 11, 2019.
*Included quote is from a digital advanced reader's copy and is subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Abby learns that Elise will be at their ten year high school reunion and she decides to attend in hopes of speaking with Elise once again. She's surprised to find that Elise remains as kind and warm as ever, praising Abby's art and confiding she hopes they can be close again one day.
Abby surprises Elise soon after the reunion when she calls her from the airport to say she's in California without a plan. Caught off guard, Elise invites Abby to her home but her uncertainty soon turns to happiness to have someone in which she can confide.
Abby is only too happy to accept Elise's invitation to stay at her home. She quickly realizes that Elise's professional career is thriving but the young actress is lonely.
Acting as a supportive friend, Abby is soon part of every aspect of Elise's life, even becoming her personal assistant.
Masking her jealousy and ulterior motives, she becomes the only person Elise can trust, ultimately leading to a dark finale.
"I let you believe the world awaited me with the same hunger it awaited you. But the truth was that, as you were born to be seen, I was born to crouch in the shadows. I was the hidden source, quietly generating the scenes you played out. I knew this, even if I didn't yet recognize mine as the superior gift." *
The Paper Wasp is a chilling book. What starts as a seemingly average tale of a woman down on her luck who does some relatively innocent social media stalking to keep up with a more successful former friend becomes a story of obsession, ambition, and finally psychotic behavior. Some of the events seem random or unimportant but they eventually come together for the ending. Sprinkle in a dash of magic realism in the form of premonitory dreams/visions and you have a rather odd novel.
I like odd, mostly because it's so open to interpretation.
Thanks to Grove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Paper Wasp is scheduled for release on June 11, 2019.
*Included quote is from a digital advanced reader's copy and is subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
July 3, 2019
Toxic female friendships have been having their fictional day for quite some time now, often with a side-helping of mental health issues: so in lots of ways Acampora is following an established trend which results in this book seriously lacking originality. What she adds to the mix, though, is a surrealist arty edge as Abby's drawings obsess with the grotesque images utilised by a Guillermo del Toro-alike film director who also, rather oddly, owns a Hollywood spa which specialises in Jungian psychology and lucid dreaming.
There's a lot going on here and at under 300 pages some of it feels distinctively under-cooked: we have the BFF obsession, mental health, contemporary Hollywood, troubled relationships, babies, ambition, dreaming and film-making. To me, this feels like a debut and the book would have benefited from a critical edit: pages and pages of Hollywood interior decoration add little while the walk-on appearance of Perran is under-utilised given his importance to both women as well as the story.
Acampora's writing is a stylish step above the many (many) commercial psychological thrillers which tread similar ground, though there is sometimes a tendency to overwrite ("arteries of freeways and branching capillaries led to the cell of each house and its adjacent pool of blue"). I'd have liked to have seen more depth and richness at the core of this book and a paring back of the peripherals.
There's a lot going on here and at under 300 pages some of it feels distinctively under-cooked: we have the BFF obsession, mental health, contemporary Hollywood, troubled relationships, babies, ambition, dreaming and film-making. To me, this feels like a debut and the book would have benefited from a critical edit: pages and pages of Hollywood interior decoration add little while the walk-on appearance of Perran is under-utilised given his importance to both women as well as the story.
Acampora's writing is a stylish step above the many (many) commercial psychological thrillers which tread similar ground, though there is sometimes a tendency to overwrite ("arteries of freeways and branching capillaries led to the cell of each house and its adjacent pool of blue"). I'd have liked to have seen more depth and richness at the core of this book and a paring back of the peripherals.
June 27, 2020
“The Paper Wasp”
Written by Lauren Acampora
Review written by Diana Iozzia
The Paper Wasp is a fiction novel that has small elements of psychological thriller due to its theme of ambition, jealousy, and warped female friendship. Unfortunately, the novel disappoints in its execution, making it feel more like a novel about a woman who moves to Los Angeles and can never find happiness. The style of the novel is very artistic and full of figurative language that feels to be a bit much.
In the story, Abby has no sense of direction and feels lost in her life. At a high school reunion, she seeks out her old best friend, Elise, who has begun her rise to fame as a young film star and model. Abby has a slight obsession with Elise, we learn, as she pressures Elise to meet her for lunch. Although Elise feels uncomfortable at first, the two strike up a friendship. In a similar vein of Ingrid Goes West, Abby launches herself into Elise’s life and flies out to Los Angeles, appearing on Elise’s fabulous, sunny mansion. The story progresses to show Abby creating messes for herself, as she becomes too heavily involved in Elise’s business. Unknowingly, Elise hires her as a personal assistant, giving Abby access to everything. Rafael, the boyfriend of Elise, is charming and handsome, appearing in many sordid dreams of Abby’s. He’s not a great person, and instantly changes into the devil when Elise falls pregnant. Abby eventually leaves, feeling like she is no longer wanted, but she returns and kidnaps Elise’s baby once it’s born. This kidnapping felt so out of place, because I could not understand how Abby could be thaaat crazy. There are not enough indicators into warped mental health that would allude to this behavior.
I did not like this story for many reasons. I felt that the two lead characters floated around and gave long winded monologues about art and life, while not much actually happened in the story. I was sure that Abby was going to be much more unhinged, so the slow burn would pay off in a great way, but it did not. I felt that the story was a waste of time for me, because it did not have an interesting plot execution. The story fell flat, unfortunately, like most of the dialogue and characters. There were no lessons to be learned. Although this story was about a darker side of Hollywood, I cannot believe it to be a fable or cautionary tale. The motives of each character seemed great at the beginning. Abby wanted everything from Elise, and Elise needed someone who she could trust and use as a protector. Perhaps there could be a bit of a metaphor, in which the novel mirrors the emptiness of Elise, but I just think it was a lackluster book.
In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I do not know if I will read more by Acampora. I rate this at three out of five stars. I think it was better than some books about Hollywood, but I would highly recommend watching Ingrid Goes West or reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for a more insightful look into dark Hollywood and superficial characters. For books about ambition and negative female friendship, I recommend Necessary People, Genuine Fraud, or A Simple Favor.
I received a complimentary advance review copy from Grove Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the novel.
Written by Lauren Acampora
Review written by Diana Iozzia
The Paper Wasp is a fiction novel that has small elements of psychological thriller due to its theme of ambition, jealousy, and warped female friendship. Unfortunately, the novel disappoints in its execution, making it feel more like a novel about a woman who moves to Los Angeles and can never find happiness. The style of the novel is very artistic and full of figurative language that feels to be a bit much.
In the story, Abby has no sense of direction and feels lost in her life. At a high school reunion, she seeks out her old best friend, Elise, who has begun her rise to fame as a young film star and model. Abby has a slight obsession with Elise, we learn, as she pressures Elise to meet her for lunch. Although Elise feels uncomfortable at first, the two strike up a friendship. In a similar vein of Ingrid Goes West, Abby launches herself into Elise’s life and flies out to Los Angeles, appearing on Elise’s fabulous, sunny mansion. The story progresses to show Abby creating messes for herself, as she becomes too heavily involved in Elise’s business. Unknowingly, Elise hires her as a personal assistant, giving Abby access to everything. Rafael, the boyfriend of Elise, is charming and handsome, appearing in many sordid dreams of Abby’s. He’s not a great person, and instantly changes into the devil when Elise falls pregnant. Abby eventually leaves, feeling like she is no longer wanted, but she returns and kidnaps Elise’s baby once it’s born. This kidnapping felt so out of place, because I could not understand how Abby could be thaaat crazy. There are not enough indicators into warped mental health that would allude to this behavior.
I did not like this story for many reasons. I felt that the two lead characters floated around and gave long winded monologues about art and life, while not much actually happened in the story. I was sure that Abby was going to be much more unhinged, so the slow burn would pay off in a great way, but it did not. I felt that the story was a waste of time for me, because it did not have an interesting plot execution. The story fell flat, unfortunately, like most of the dialogue and characters. There were no lessons to be learned. Although this story was about a darker side of Hollywood, I cannot believe it to be a fable or cautionary tale. The motives of each character seemed great at the beginning. Abby wanted everything from Elise, and Elise needed someone who she could trust and use as a protector. Perhaps there could be a bit of a metaphor, in which the novel mirrors the emptiness of Elise, but I just think it was a lackluster book.
In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I do not know if I will read more by Acampora. I rate this at three out of five stars. I think it was better than some books about Hollywood, but I would highly recommend watching Ingrid Goes West or reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for a more insightful look into dark Hollywood and superficial characters. For books about ambition and negative female friendship, I recommend Necessary People, Genuine Fraud, or A Simple Favor.
I received a complimentary advance review copy from Grove Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the novel.
November 16, 2019
'The Paper Wasp' is a compelling and creepy story of obsession, fame and Hollywood. I listened to the audio book which I highly recommend, given the almost dreamlike nature of the book. The narrator really made Lauren Acampora's brilliant writing come alive.
In rural Michigan, Abby leads a lonely life. She was once a promising and gifted artist but now works at a boring, dead-end job. There are hints of darkness in her life, and one gets the sense that Abby is barely holding onto reality. She escapes into the fantasy world of films, and is obsessed with the work of Auguste Perren, a director who also runs an institute knows as the Rhizome. Dreams and visions inspire Perren, and Abby draws similar fantastical art pieces, all in secret.
Abby is surprised to run into her childhood best friend Elise at a high school reunion. Elise is now a famous actress, pursued by the tabloids and living in LA. Elise mentions to Abby to look her up if she is ever visiting and Abby does just that. Except that Abby is no casual visitor and has basically run away from home to get to LA. She has no place to live, and no job there. Elise still feels a kinship with Abby, and hires her as her personal assistant. Abby jumps at the chance. All her fantasies are finally coming true.
"Here, I was a new person. Just as you’d left Michigan far behind, Elise, so had I."
Outwardly, Abby seems like the perfect friend and assistant. Inwardly, she is a seething time bomb, ready to explode at any minute. Abby is resentful of Elise's success as an actress and begins to sabotage both Elise's personal and professional life. The obsessive nature of Abby's feelings for Elise come through in the chilling, second person point-of-view.
"I took a last look at you. Your eyes stared up at me, my old friend, and I saw something pleading in them, imploring me. My dreams hadn't been wrong. They were never wrong; they were truer than life. As I held your gaze, I understood that our bond had never truly been broken. You needed me as much as ever."
The story takes a very odd turn at the end but I still was absolutely enchanted by the writing. The scenes between Abby and Elise are chilling, tense and compelling. The author has a real eye for the often superficial nature of Hollywood and the movie business in general. I was on the edge of my seat during the last half of this book. It was clear that Abby's obsession with Elise was going to take a very dark turn.
"You smiled faintly and closed your eyes. When you opened them again, they locked on mine, bright and vapid. There was nothing in them. You hadn’t been filled, over all these years, but had been left carefully hollow. This, I imagined, was why actresses cracked so easily with age, like glass vases—why they were so swiftly and thoroughly ruined."
The author has much to say about female friendship, rivalry and the Hollywood star system. The dream sequences translated well into the audio book which is why I highly recommend listening to this book! This is a wildly creative and different story that is easily one of my favorites of 2019.
In rural Michigan, Abby leads a lonely life. She was once a promising and gifted artist but now works at a boring, dead-end job. There are hints of darkness in her life, and one gets the sense that Abby is barely holding onto reality. She escapes into the fantasy world of films, and is obsessed with the work of Auguste Perren, a director who also runs an institute knows as the Rhizome. Dreams and visions inspire Perren, and Abby draws similar fantastical art pieces, all in secret.
Abby is surprised to run into her childhood best friend Elise at a high school reunion. Elise is now a famous actress, pursued by the tabloids and living in LA. Elise mentions to Abby to look her up if she is ever visiting and Abby does just that. Except that Abby is no casual visitor and has basically run away from home to get to LA. She has no place to live, and no job there. Elise still feels a kinship with Abby, and hires her as her personal assistant. Abby jumps at the chance. All her fantasies are finally coming true.
"Here, I was a new person. Just as you’d left Michigan far behind, Elise, so had I."
Outwardly, Abby seems like the perfect friend and assistant. Inwardly, she is a seething time bomb, ready to explode at any minute. Abby is resentful of Elise's success as an actress and begins to sabotage both Elise's personal and professional life. The obsessive nature of Abby's feelings for Elise come through in the chilling, second person point-of-view.
"I took a last look at you. Your eyes stared up at me, my old friend, and I saw something pleading in them, imploring me. My dreams hadn't been wrong. They were never wrong; they were truer than life. As I held your gaze, I understood that our bond had never truly been broken. You needed me as much as ever."
The story takes a very odd turn at the end but I still was absolutely enchanted by the writing. The scenes between Abby and Elise are chilling, tense and compelling. The author has a real eye for the often superficial nature of Hollywood and the movie business in general. I was on the edge of my seat during the last half of this book. It was clear that Abby's obsession with Elise was going to take a very dark turn.
"You smiled faintly and closed your eyes. When you opened them again, they locked on mine, bright and vapid. There was nothing in them. You hadn’t been filled, over all these years, but had been left carefully hollow. This, I imagined, was why actresses cracked so easily with age, like glass vases—why they were so swiftly and thoroughly ruined."
The author has much to say about female friendship, rivalry and the Hollywood star system. The dream sequences translated well into the audio book which is why I highly recommend listening to this book! This is a wildly creative and different story that is easily one of my favorites of 2019.
April 5, 2019
Acampora is a new author to me. Her blurb hooked me and I could not wait to read this story about a woman navigating herself through a mild obsession with a childhood friend, an actress living in Los Angeles.
While this story offers good prose, often vivid in nature and demonstrating struggles the main character deals with daily, from family strife to career goals that may pass by her and its cover art mesmerized me, I cannot say this story connected with me. None of the characters, including the main character, did not hook me.
Beautiful story. Beautiful artwork. But, Acampora somehow dropped the ball when making sure these two aspects came together to garner characters that readers may not necessarily adore but want to connect to on, at least, a shallow basis.
While this story offers good prose, often vivid in nature and demonstrating struggles the main character deals with daily, from family strife to career goals that may pass by her and its cover art mesmerized me, I cannot say this story connected with me. None of the characters, including the main character, did not hook me.
Beautiful story. Beautiful artwork. But, Acampora somehow dropped the ball when making sure these two aspects came together to garner characters that readers may not necessarily adore but want to connect to on, at least, a shallow basis.
Read
July 2, 2019I have a feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore.
This was more like a fever dream than a novel.
I’m not sure of what I think of this novel, how many stars I should click for “my rating,” or ... how a person/author could hold this book in the parallel universe of her mind and walk around as a functioning human.
This was more like a fever dream than a novel.
I’m not sure of what I think of this novel, how many stars I should click for “my rating,” or ... how a person/author could hold this book in the parallel universe of her mind and walk around as a functioning human.
June 9, 2019
I went into this book thinking it would only be about an uncomfortable obsession between friends. Then Acampora took a swift left turn with the plot and the Darkside we entered was like the black hole of platonic relationships.
With an undercurrent of Single White Female vibes, The Paper Wasp creeps slowly, but relentlessly toward a wildly uncomfortable & obsessive middle, denouement, and epilogue.
Written in first person, there is no escaping Abby's steady decline into "enlightenment" about her recovered friendship and all that it means for her future. These are murky waters and fans of good psych thrillers will enjoy treading them.
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Press, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
With an undercurrent of Single White Female vibes, The Paper Wasp creeps slowly, but relentlessly toward a wildly uncomfortable & obsessive middle, denouement, and epilogue.
Written in first person, there is no escaping Abby's steady decline into "enlightenment" about her recovered friendship and all that it means for her future. These are murky waters and fans of good psych thrillers will enjoy treading them.
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Press, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 4, 2019
Thanks to Bookishfirst.com and Grove Press for this book. My opinions are my own.
I didn't realize this was a sort of Young Adult book or chick lit I guess you can also call it since Elise and Abby meet once again at their 10 year high school reunion which would make them 28 years old. Abby seemed to be the outcast in high school, overweight and shy and into her artistry and Elise seems to be the outgoing one always wanting to become an actress.
Abby and Elise were once very close friends, almost sisters you can call it growing up in Michigan and then Elise goes to California, to be an actress while Abby still lives in Michigan working in a supermarket. Abby decides to go to their high school reunion just to see Elise once again.
Abby just decides to drop in Elise's life in California after an invitation from Elise. Elise seems surprised at first but ends up making her her personal assistant.
It was a very strange book with Abby's dreams. I'm not going to spoil it but the book turned out very bizarre. A hard book to review.
I didn't realize this was a sort of Young Adult book or chick lit I guess you can also call it since Elise and Abby meet once again at their 10 year high school reunion which would make them 28 years old. Abby seemed to be the outcast in high school, overweight and shy and into her artistry and Elise seems to be the outgoing one always wanting to become an actress.
Abby and Elise were once very close friends, almost sisters you can call it growing up in Michigan and then Elise goes to California, to be an actress while Abby still lives in Michigan working in a supermarket. Abby decides to go to their high school reunion just to see Elise once again.
Abby just decides to drop in Elise's life in California after an invitation from Elise. Elise seems surprised at first but ends up making her her personal assistant.
It was a very strange book with Abby's dreams. I'm not going to spoil it but the book turned out very bizarre. A hard book to review.
December 24, 2018
The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora is an out-of-the-league novel. When I finished reading it, I wasn't sure what hit me - I am still not sure if it is a good thing or a bad one!
I love dark endings, and although this one fits the bill, I cannot really say that I enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong here, the writing style is interesting; the story, not as much though. The main character is fishy, and the reader is left in two minds whether to like her or not. Or may be it is just me, and I couldn't really relate to the protagonist.
One thing that I really loved about the book is the thought process that would have gone behind deciding the title of the book. It is an apt one, and I congratulate the author for the find. Thumbs up!
Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.
I love dark endings, and although this one fits the bill, I cannot really say that I enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong here, the writing style is interesting; the story, not as much though. The main character is fishy, and the reader is left in two minds whether to like her or not. Or may be it is just me, and I couldn't really relate to the protagonist.
One thing that I really loved about the book is the thought process that would have gone behind deciding the title of the book. It is an apt one, and I congratulate the author for the find. Thumbs up!
Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.
July 6, 2019
I love the cover art. The Paper Wasp is a dark and twisted story of obsession and longing. Abie and Elise were high school friends. They drift apart. Now, several years on, Abie is a common woman, and Elise is a starlet. Abie is nothing, and Elise is everything. After reconnecting at a reunion, Abie goes to basically live with Elise in her fancy house in California. Abie becomes obsessed because she just wants to be something else. The plot is intriguing and different from other books I've read. The characters are likeable and not likeable. It's a back and forth with this story. It's a dark psychological thriller that fans of the genre will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2018
The plot is extremely intriguing, modern and captivating, whilst the characters are fleshed-out and relatable, with realistic motivating forces and emotional struggles. Acampora's prose is flowing; its rhythm and clarity makes for a gripping novel, one that stays with the reader long after he/she turns the final page. Will definitely be checking out more fiction from this writer.
This copy was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review by the publisher via NetGalley.
This copy was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review by the publisher via NetGalley.
August 11, 2019
I absolutely love Lauren Acampora's writing style. She uses beautiful prose to tell this story of Elise and Abby and the dysfunctional relationship they have after reconnecting at a high school reunion. It's one of the few books I've read that I can honestly say I didn't like the two main characters but still loved the story.
November 27, 2025
Absolutely wtf just happened? (Complimentary)
This book has the lowest Goodreads average of something I have read in awhile and I think it's undeserved! The Paper Wasp is a worthy addition to the weird lit canon for my fellow cinephiles (think the obsessive toxicity and unreliable narrator of Eileen meets the cult film world deep dive of Night Film). Such a surreal Lynchian mind melt of a book. What's real, what's psychosis? Who can say! Loved it!
This book has the lowest Goodreads average of something I have read in awhile and I think it's undeserved! The Paper Wasp is a worthy addition to the weird lit canon for my fellow cinephiles (think the obsessive toxicity and unreliable narrator of Eileen meets the cult film world deep dive of Night Film). Such a surreal Lynchian mind melt of a book. What's real, what's psychosis? Who can say! Loved it!
June 29, 2019
Two stars is generous. It tried to hard to be clever and timely, and the dialogue was dreadful. As a reader I was alternately irritated and impatient. The cover is great.
The tension is supplied by Abby and Elise, but this seems contrived and superficial. Some events simply could not, would not have unfolded as they are depicted. The Jungian aspect was irritating. As a visual artist, I am disappointed by this author's attempt to portray an artist. Abby's thoughts do not reflect the way a visual artist's brain works. She never considers the visual, the staging, the fall of light . . . and the plot is absurd.
It is not "told in second person" as Kirkus claims. It is first person and direct address like The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, which is better written. I am reminded of a high school student who used his thesaurus to incorporate unusual words into his essays without fully understanding their meaning. Yes, a chin might be described as gibbous, it is not incorrect, but who says that? The very rich and powerful certainly live in a bubble of power and money, but this simply was not a plausible story.
I thank the publisher for this opportunity to read the novel. I wish I had liked it.
The tension is supplied by Abby and Elise, but this seems contrived and superficial. Some events simply could not, would not have unfolded as they are depicted. The Jungian aspect was irritating. As a visual artist, I am disappointed by this author's attempt to portray an artist. Abby's thoughts do not reflect the way a visual artist's brain works. She never considers the visual, the staging, the fall of light . . . and the plot is absurd.
It is not "told in second person" as Kirkus claims. It is first person and direct address like The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, which is better written. I am reminded of a high school student who used his thesaurus to incorporate unusual words into his essays without fully understanding their meaning. Yes, a chin might be described as gibbous, it is not incorrect, but who says that? The very rich and powerful certainly live in a bubble of power and money, but this simply was not a plausible story.
I thank the publisher for this opportunity to read the novel. I wish I had liked it.
October 31, 2019
Blech.
I'm so freaking smart and like weird films and never got over my goth phase in high school and I'm overweight and depressive and obsessed with the beautiful model/actress girl that I used to have sleepovers with in some little town in Michigan and won't you come read about me?
NO!
Begone with you Paper Wasp.
Begone!
I'm so freaking smart and like weird films and never got over my goth phase in high school and I'm overweight and depressive and obsessed with the beautiful model/actress girl that I used to have sleepovers with in some little town in Michigan and won't you come read about me?
NO!
Begone with you Paper Wasp.
Begone!
June 2, 2019
Abby has high hopes for a career making movies but she’s still living at home with her parents and working at a local supermarket. She keeps all magazine and newspaper articles about her friend, Elise, who has gone on to become a movie actress. She meets Elise again at a school reunion and is thrilled that Elise not only remembers how close they were but wants them to become close again. Elise gives Abby her phone number, swearing her to secrecy, and tells her to give her a call if she’s ever in LA. Abby steals her parents’ credit card and surprises Elise in LA where she finds an Elise more vulnerable than Abby imagined. Abby is pulled more and more into Elise’s world. When things begin to shift in their relationship, Abby’s desires and ambitions take a strange turn.
I’ve always been attracted to books about obsession. This one satisfies in that regard. Abby’s obsessions with Elise makes for an absorbing read. Abby is a character who at first I felt sympathy for but she soon becomes a much darker character. The end gave me chills as unbelievable as it was and played out as obsessions so often do.
On the negative side, a large part of this book is about dreams and their meanings. Abby believes she has dreams that foretell the future and that when she dreams of people, they are actually there and that they are dreaming the same dream. I had a hard time staying focused during these forays into fantasy. Abby actually becomes a member of the Rhizome, an organization who interviews its members about their dreams. It was very strange and I can’t say I enjoyed these sections of the book much.
While parts of this book were well worth the time spent, as a whole it didn’t leave much of an impression on me and is not one that I would recommend. It felt a bit too much like a Young Adult or Chick Lit, although on the dark side, for me.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
I’ve always been attracted to books about obsession. This one satisfies in that regard. Abby’s obsessions with Elise makes for an absorbing read. Abby is a character who at first I felt sympathy for but she soon becomes a much darker character. The end gave me chills as unbelievable as it was and played out as obsessions so often do.
On the negative side, a large part of this book is about dreams and their meanings. Abby believes she has dreams that foretell the future and that when she dreams of people, they are actually there and that they are dreaming the same dream. I had a hard time staying focused during these forays into fantasy. Abby actually becomes a member of the Rhizome, an organization who interviews its members about their dreams. It was very strange and I can’t say I enjoyed these sections of the book much.
While parts of this book were well worth the time spent, as a whole it didn’t leave much of an impression on me and is not one that I would recommend. It felt a bit too much like a Young Adult or Chick Lit, although on the dark side, for me.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
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