by Adam Foulds
First published 2019
Henry achieved fame playing a character on The Grange, a television series that captivates audiences who discuss the fictional people as if they exist in real life. He wants to break free from television and land a role in a film by a renowned Spanish director. Henry maintains strict control over his diet, eating simple meals of rice and vegetables in his apartment, yet he also indulges in cocaine at parties in the desert of Doha. He constantly monitors his public image and status in the entertainment world. Meanwhile, Kristin has recently gone through a divorce and lives alone in her spacious Philadelphia home. She watches Henry on her television screen and follows updates about his London residence and family through social media. The Grange star has become central to her daily existence without his knowledge. Kristin desires to meet Henry in person and bridge the gap between her devoted fandom and reality. The story explores how celebrity culture creates dangerous connections between strangers.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: celebrity, obsession, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Doha, London, Philadelphia, The Grange
Period: 21st-century
213 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use