The Pinball Theory of Apocalypse

Selwood's debut opens in Los Angeles, in the middle of Isabelle Raven's meteoric rise to fame, as her obnoxious art dealer, Juan Dahlman, orchestrates her transformation from unknown hack into... 'It Girl' artist. Juan's efforts include circulating on the Internet nude photos of Isabelle and her participation in an ad campaign for vaginal rejuvenation surgery, as well as pimping her out to a dot-com magnate who purchases her work. Isabelle mopes and halfheartedly battles her abject artistic prostitution as she dodges earthquake-related damage to her apartment building and wonders whether her chef-to-the-stars boyfriend is cheating on her with a sixteen-year-old wannabe Aguilera. The novel is packed with pop culture caricatures (notably in Isabelle's paintings, which are re-creations of masterpieces updated with pop icons; ""The Death of Marat"", for instance, features a turbaned and bloody Kurt Cobain) and amusing bit players, but the cultural artifacts don't build to a larger statement; they simply pile on. Selwood is a talented writer and his novel is frequently funny, though readers may wish for more substance. ""(July)"" .