The Paper Wasp - Book Review -

“The Paper Wasp”

Written by Lauren Acampora

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 

The Paper Wasp is a fiction novel that has small elements of psychological thriller due to its theme of ambition, jealousy, and warped female friendship. Unfortunately, the novel disappoints in its execution, making it feel more like a novel about a woman who moves to Los Angeles and can never find happiness. The style of the novel is very artistic and full of figurative language that feels to be a bit much.

 

In the story, Abby has no sense of direction and feels lost in her life. At a high school reunion, she seeks out her old best friend, Elise, who has begun her rise to fame as a young film star and model. Abby has a slight obsession with Elise, we learn, as she pressures Elise to meet her for lunch. Although Elise feels uncomfortable at first, the two strike up a friendship. In a similar vein of Ingrid Goes West, Abby launches herself into Elise’s life and flies out to Los Angeles, appearing on Elise’s fabulous, sunny mansion. The story progresses to show Abby creating messes for herself, as she becomes too heavily involved in Elise’s business. Unknowingly, Elise hires her as a personal assistant, giving Abby access to everything. Rafael, the boyfriend of Elise, is charming and handsome, appearing in many sordid dreams of Abby’s. He’s not a great person, and instantly changes into the devil when Elise falls pregnant. Abby eventually leaves, feeling like she is no longer wanted, but she returns and kidnaps Elise’s baby once it’s born. This kidnapping felt so out of place, because I could not understand how Abby could be thaaat crazy. There are not enough indicators into warped mental health that would allude to this behavior.

 

I did not like this story for many reasons. I felt that the two lead characters floated around and gave long winded monologues about art and life, while not much actually happened in the story. I was sure that Abby was going to be much more unhinged, so the slow burn would pay off in a great way, but it did not. I felt that the story was a waste of time for me, because it did not have an interesting plot execution. The story fell flat, unfortunately, like most of the dialogue and characters. There were no lessons to be learned. Although this story was about a darker side of Hollywood, I cannot believe it to be a fable or cautionary tale. The motives of each character seemed great at the beginning. Abby wanted everything from Elise, and Elise needed someone who she could trust and use as a protector. Perhaps there could be a bit of a metaphor, in which the novel mirrors the emptiness of Elise, but I just think it was a lackluster book.

 

In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I do not know if I will read more by Acampora. I rate this at three out of five stars. I think it was better than some books about Hollywood, but I would highly recommend watching Ingrid Goes West or reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for a more insightful look into dark Hollywood and superficial characters. For books about ambition and negative female friendship, I recommend Necessary People, Genuine Fraud, or A Simple Favor.

 

I received a complimentary advance review copy from Grove Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the novel.