A Complete Fiction - by R L Maizes (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With little evidence, would-be author P.J. Larkin serves a "nibble" on the trendy new social-media app Crave, accusing editor George Dunn of stealing the novel she submitted to him for publication.

The nibble shoots to the top of the site's Popular Menu Items and before you can say "unpaid literary labor," George is embroiled in a scandal, his job and book deal in jeopardy. P.J.'s novel is snapped up amid the publicity, but has she revealed her sister Mia's secrets in the book? Some diners on Crave think so, and now it's P.J.'s turn to feel the public's scorn.

Told in the humorous vein of Where'd You Go Bernadette?, A Complete Fiction examines the very serious questions of who has a right to tell a story, and has cancel culture gone too far in our social media-drenched world?

Review Quotes

"I loved this witty and completely absorbing novel. Maizes has compassion for her characters and their very real mistakes, and she allows them to negotiate the varying degrees of harm they do one another with artful nuance. The underdogs, in Maizes' inspired telling, transcend themselves." --Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Dog of the North and The Portable Veblen.

"I can't gush enough about R.L. Maizes's A Complete Fiction, one of the most fabulously complex, interesting, and hilarious novels I've read in years. As two protagonists fight (and fight dirty) over their respective truths, Maizes asks hard questions about cancel culture, power, politics, sexual abuse, and narrative that make me interrogate my own values. Maizes's sensitivity in tackling difficult topics further underscores the bravery and badassery of this un-put-downable book. Read it, read it! And then talk to me, because I can't stop thinking about it." --Erika Krouse, author of Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation, Winner of the 2023 Edgar Award

"Fast-paced and tightly wrought, R. L. Maizes' new novel A Complete Fiction goes right to the mercenary hearts of two writers and with humor and pathos manages to skewer the publishing industry and the pressure cooker of literary social media simultaneously. We follow P.J. as she longs to publish a first novel and George, an editor, who turned her down for writing a book that he may or may not have plagiarized from her. Rooting for both with laugh out loud moments, I raced to the conclusion to find out how it would end." --Bethany Ball, author of The Pessimists and What to do About the Solomons

"A Complete Fiction checks all of the boxes for an incredible read that sits at the intersection of cancel culture and #metoo. It's packed full of contemporary anxiety, it's hilarious in moments, and it's a page-turner where readers will get a true joy out of being a fly on the wall to the conversations between characters. Maizes surfaces the absurdity of modern life, but in the way your smartest and most empathetic friend would. This novel is a beach read for people who also care about the cultural zeitgeist." --Wendy J. Fox, author of What If We Were Somewhere Else and If the Ice Had Held

"The question of who has a right to tell a story fuels A Complete Fiction with righteous anger and verve. But R.L. Maizes turns the battles roiling publishing and society into a nuanced and humorous portrait of two flawed writers struggling to be heard. Through a twisting plot, revealing the complexity behind impulsive social media posts, we end up having empathy for the accused and the accuser. It's a difficult feat that Maizes pulls off beautifully." --Arsen Kashkashian, Head Buyer and General Manager, Boulder Bookstore