I could be famous Stories

Rende debuts with a nimble collection of 11 stories that dart from one blearily ambitious and deludedly self-assured young woman to another with occasional detours into the life of former child star Arlo Banks. In "Nothing Special," Jane, bored with her boyfriend and her receptionist job, sends a DM to Banks, claiming they'd make a good match. She then befriends a beautiful influencer named Ramona, who helps Jane boost her follower count. Jane hopes Ramona will help make her famous by matching her with a celebrity, only to discover that Ramona has actually been grooming her for sex work. Arlo takes center stage in "Trick," "fabulously depressed" after a breakup and accused of gnawing off someone's pinky toe ("Cannibal or Not, Arlo Banks Is Still Hot," reads a tabloid headline). In the darkly funny and emotionally searching "Lopsided," narrator Lauren faces the fact that she really wants to leave her boyfriend, who has just donated a kidney to her, but doesn't know how to ("It was as if he had gotten down on one knee and said, Take this kidney and love me forever, or die," Lauren thinks). Throughout, Rende demonstrates a fond regard for her characters, despite their dubious choices. Readers won't be able to help cheering them on. (Jan.)

A startling debut collection of short stories. These 11 stories are meditations on themes that are both timeless--women looking for love, longing for more from life, fighting for their dreams--and modern, filled with influencers and celebrity-driven culture and people living on the periphery of both. Through engaging and occasionally shocking stories, Rende deftly shows the balancing act between the online and performative world in which we increasingly live and the rich, complicated interior lives of her characters. These impressive stories lay bare the hidden worlds of both the very online and those living adjacent to the spotlight or yearning for it, for better or worse. Consider Jane, a bored receptionist who takes center stage in the opening story, "Nothing Special." Jane spends her time DMing former child stars and befriending influencers like Ramona, who isn't at all the beautiful-inside-and-out person she pretends to be online. What follows is a darkly funny cautionary tale about falling for illusions. In "Lopsided," a possibly ripped-from-reality story, the young narrator grapples with the fact that she wants to leave the boyfriend who just donated a kidney to her. Is she bound to stay with him forever, or can she dump him to see what else is out there? In "High School Junkie Girlfriend," a struggling actress and temporary hot-tub saleswoman decides to go all in while preparing for her role as the titular junkie girlfriend. She is determined to break out of her rut and reach the next stage of her career no matter what, the result is a Raymond Carver--esque vignette of life on the sidelines. Entertaining and readable stories offering a unique view into this moment of the Anthropocene. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.