A stylish debut novel in which Lauren Acampora reveals herself as an explorer of twisted human psyche…
Lauren Acampora delves into the dark psyche and obsessional journey of one woman’s twisted ambitions in her debut novel, The Paper Wasp. Abby Graven is merely trudging through life when she meets her childhood best friend Elise, a rising starlet in Hollywood, and follows her to her home in LA. Wary of opportunistic friendships of the show business, Elise asks Abby to live with her and work as her personal assistant. Abby’s secret obsession with Elise and her artistic ambitions force the former to unravel a sinister game plan she has orchestrated for her best friend. The prose as well as the characterization is done brilliantly; Acampora reveals herself as a brilliant architect, first she introduces the protagonists with notable emergence, and as the story moves forward, she brings out the hidden, dark layers in their persona. Acampora’s narrative flows easily and has a magical quantity to it. Readers can sense an approaching doom from the beginning, and the ending weighs heavily on their conscience. The jeopardy in Abby and Elise’s lives come from within — Abby is unable to let the past go, and to achieve her goals she is ready to sabotage others’ lives; Elise, despite being in possession of the best of world is driven to self-sabotage out of restlessness. A grim, dark book that’s worth exploring.