After Care - by Divya Maniar (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Grace is no longer famous. She sits alone in her New York apartment, endlessly watching reruns of herself on the reality TV show Speed Daters. Then, one evening, a man breaks in through her window. A rare, still-obsessed fan or raging incel - Grace is unsure. Before she can find out, he disappears.

That same night, the world is rocked by the news that Anoushka, Grace's onscreen rival, has taken her own life. Suddenly thrust back into the public eye, Grace is thrilled to be relevant again. Driven by a familiar desperation for love and attention, she clings to the dregs of her old life: her followers; her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Cal; and her unstable influencer income.

But fame is fickle, and Grace's image is fragile. When the fans begin to turn on her, Grace escapes with Cal to his isolated cabin. In the woods with nothing but each other, can they mend what's broken without destroying what little is left?

A piercing debut exposing the toxicities of reality TV and influencer culture, After Care is a disconcertingly recognisable portrait of reckless consumerism, spectatorship and the attention economy. Perfect for fans of Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.

This novel contains discussions of suicide and graphic depictions of sexual assault.

About the Author

Divya Maniar is a writer and dancer from Singapore. She studied Comparative Literature and Philosophy at Brown, and holds an M.Phil in English Literature from Cambridge. Her writing has appeared in Joyland, The Rumpus and elsewhere. After Care is her debut novel.