Grace was 14 when she was plucked out of obscurity in England and cast as a lead in a movie trilogy. She and her family moved to California so she could pursue stardom, something she never had thought of until her classmates were auditioning for the film.
The film’s charismatic director, Able Yorke, finds a muse in Grace. And while he’s able to coax some terrific performances from her, they come with a steep price tag. He controls her every move and when she resists he makes her question herself and her own sanity.
But that’s not all he does to her, and to deal with it she turns to drugs and alcohol and destructive behavior. She thinks she might have found happiness but her past keeps creeping into her life and destroying her relationships. And then after receiving a Golden Globe nomination, she disappears, and goes home to her parents’ house to enjoy the anonymity of everyday life.
Of course, family life doesn’t suit her, as there are resentments there, too. But when she hears that Able will receive a film award and organizers want Grace to present it, she drags herself back to Hollywood, but she has to figure out on whose terms she’s returning. She also has to come to terms with what happened to her and what she wants next. And as much as she has scorched-earth scenarios in her head, she knows she must be realistic as well.
This is a very relevant book given the MeToo and Time’s Up movements, and you know Grace’s story is based on so many real ones. I felt the book's pacing was very slow for a long while, as the narration shifted between past and present. At times it almost felt like we were being kept at arm’s length from getting to know Grace and getting invested in her story, but ultimately the book picked up in pace and emotion.
This is a book that raises so many questions about our culture, and what women are put through everywhere, especially in the entertainment field. It’s very thought-provoking.
No comments:
Post a Comment