In a vicious, delicious contemporary novel inspired by Shakespeareâs Richard III, the lauded author of The Family Fortuna lifts the curtain on a high school thespian whoâll stop at nothing to land the lead.
Rory is an antihero for the ages. Like Shakespeareâs Richard III, she confides in her audience, telling us exactly the lengths sheâll go to to secure the leading role in Bosworth Academyâs senior musical, confessing without shame that she is charming and conniving and brutally ambitious, that we will watch and root for her even as she manipulates and endangers those around her. And we do. Perhaps itâs because we donât want to believe that sheâs as relentless as she claims. Rory is an underdog, after all, a scholarship kid teased for her weight. Surely there will be redemption? Surely our dread and patience will be rewarded? Intricately plotted with an ingenious narrative that blends multiple viewpoints with script excerpts and an original musical score, Lindsay Eagarâs whip-smart, precision-crafted, and gleefully compulsive page-turner taps into the dark side of high school theater production. A diabolically good read, it forces our complicity as we wince and cheer for an arresting drama queen who just canât help going full-tilt nasty in the pursuit of her dreams.