Rachel Taff’s debut novel, Paper Cut, is a propulsive thriller about bestselling writer Lucy Golden, who became famous as a teenager for escaping a murderous California cult and killing its leader. On the 20th anniversary of the murder trial that made her a public figure, Lucy is thrust back into the spotlight—partly because her legendary memoir is also celebrating its 20th anniversary, and partly because a documentary filmmaker is interested in making a movie about her. The only problem? Lucy has been telling a doctored story about her time in the cult for the past two decades, and the truth is in danger of coming to light.
While writing Paper Cut, I found myself drawn to books about women traversing systems designed to consume them: fame, patriarchy, motherhood, marriage, religious belief. I’m fascinated by how identities can be transformed under pressure, and by how swiftly a good narrative can become more persuasive than the truth. Each of these books explore what happens when a woman, like Lucy, is expected to perform a version of herself for the world in order to get what she wants—and what it takes to survive when that performance eclipses reality.
Luckiest Girl Alive
Knoll’s crackling debut, which was adapted into a Netflix film starring Mila Kunis, is a dual timeline narrative that’s split between protagonist Ani’s unfathomable teenage trauma and her wedding preparations as an adult. Ani has done her best to reinvent herself as someone who’s completely walled-off from her dark past, but her deceptions catch up to her just when it counts. This one explores one of Paper Cut’s main themes: only when Ani faces her story head-on can she accept both the person she was and the person she’s become without apologies.
Make Me Famous
I first became infatuated with Ventura from her previous novel, My Husband, but Make Me Famous is an immersive deep dive into the mind of a person ravenous for fame. Cleo is a world-famous French American pop star who has always felt destined for notoriety, wealth, and luxury. Her darkly funny inner monologue is both intoxicating and blunt as she recounts her rise to fame while she relaxes on a remote island vacation. It’s wild to witness just how far this woman has gone to be revered on the level she thinks she deserves.
Notes on an Execution
This daring novel examines violent crime not as a spectacle but as a consequence of neglect and systemic failure. In the hours leading up to Ansel Packer’s execution, Kukafka dives deep into the lives of the women who shaped him and the women whose lives he destroyed. Kukafka’s writing is stunning on both a line level and as a plotting master class. I found myself drinking this one in slowly, careful not to miss a single sentence or an astute observation about the ripple effects of violence against women.
The Push
The innovative structure of this psychological suspense novel about marriage and motherhood is only one aspect of Audrain’s prowess. It’s really her treatment of her protagonist, Blythe, that stays with you. The difficulty of motherhood is not a new theme, but Blythe’s flaws as a parent are drawn in such exacting detail that it’s impossible not to empathize with her, even as she goes to increasingly dire lengths to protect her son.
Stray: A Memoir
This engrossing memoir explores Danler’s life after the success of her novel Sweetbitter, when she was pulled back to Southern California to contend with her complicated family life. She divides the book into sections focused on her mother (alcoholic, disabled, and dependent), father (drug-addicted, absent, and charming), and a toxic romantic entanglement she just can’t shake. As Danler attempts to individuate from each of these narcissistic figures, she spelunks through her own psyche in a moving effort to make her children’s upbringings easier than her own.
This Might Hurt
Wrobel’s gripping thriller explores the seductive allure of belief and the predatory possibilities of self-improvement culture. When Natalie’s sister joins a mysterious wellness collective, Natalie infiltrates the group to save her, only to be drawn in herself by the group’s charismatic leader. With pulse-pounding suspense, Wrobel expertly sheds light on how the promise of healing can become weaponized in the wrong hands.
