cover image Someday, Someday, Maybe

Someday, Someday, Maybe

Lauren Graham. Ballantine, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-0-345-53274-9

Actress Graham's debut novel is set in 1995, a time when Caller-ID was a new feature, faxes were commonplace, and New York City's Times Square was still known for peep shows and unsavory characters. Following a predictable plot, Franny Banks, an aspiring actress living in pre-trendy Park Slope, Brooklyn, is desperate to break into theater but has only six months left on her self-imposed deadline to make that dream come true. With Franny's unruly hair, a body that doesn't quite fit the actress mold, and quirky personality%E2%80%94which too often feels forced%E2%80%94she doesn't see how she can compete with the petite and polished Penelope Scholtzky. Suddenly, Absolute, one of the biggest tal-ent agencies in the business, becomes interested in Franny and things take a turn for the better; she gets jobs and begins a relationship with up-and-coming actor James Franklin. But as Franny rises, she wonders if everything she's worked so hard for is really what she wants. Although much of the story centers on the ordinary realization that what you want isn't always what's right for you, Graham pro-vides an inside peek at the world of acting and the struggles of making it. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (May)