I Could Be Famous - by Sydney Rende (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"A terrific debut: fresh, original, and surprising." --George Saunders, Booker-Prize winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo

From a magnetic new voice in fiction "made for this moment and for those coming of age within it" (Jonathan Dee), a debut story collection following ten ambitious women and one male superstar as they pursue their desires--however deluded--for more.

A listless woman befriends an influencer at a rooftop party, only to discover her lifestyle is not as glamorous as it seems. A college freshman gives the world's longest blow job to a boy whose name she's forgotten. A fan-favorite reality TV star joins a dating app after an explosive breakup, ready to move on, but finds she's in control only when cameras are rolling. While working in a hot tub showroom, a struggling actress goes method so she can nail an audition for the role of High School Junkie Girlfriend. Threaded throughout these explorations of neuroses and aspirations is one Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor who faces his own downfall when he's accused of cannibalism.

From the dazzling to the mundane, Rende's unnervingly astute stories hold a mirror to our obsession with how we're perceived and our ache to be adored. Above all else, I Could Be Famous is a love letter to big ambitions and bigger dissatisfactions, belief in ourselves, and the fascination we hold with the idea that we could--somehow, someday--be famous.

Review Quotes

"Rende deftly shows the balancing act between the online and performative world in which we increasingly live and the rich, complicated interior lives of her characters. These impressive stories lay bare the hidden worlds of both the very online and those living adjacent to the spotlight or earning for it, for better or worse . . . Entertaining and readable stories offering a unique view into this moment of the Anthropocene." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Darkly funny and emotionally searching . . . Throughout, Rende demonstrates a fond regard for her characters, despite their dubious choices. Readers won't be able to help cheering them on." --Publishers Weekly

"A terrific debut: fresh, original, and surprising. Eleven fast, sharp, funny stories laced with a deep understanding of the corrosive effect our fame-hungry attention economy has on real connection between people. Rende is such a witty, engaging writer, with an intuitive understanding that the short story is in the world to delight, engage, and enlarge the reader.
" --George Saunders, Booker Prize-winning author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

"Sydney Rende's debut collection spoke to me from the first line, where a receptionist cold messages a celebrity to say they'd be a 'good match.' In these propulsive stories, the tattoo of a dead mom comes to life, a woman contemplates dumping her boyfriend after he gives her a kidney, and an infomercial actress is desperate to land the role of an unnamed junkie girlfriend. Lurking throughout is a disgraced leading man accused of cannibalism and up for the role of Dracula, a twisted thread linking them all. I Could Be Famous is sharp, darkly funny, and, in the words of the reality TV star from my favorite story, 'very anthropological.'" --Anna Dorn, author of Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist EXALTED

"Sydney Rende's funny, sweet, stinging voice is made for this moment, and for those coming of age within it. An important debut and an invaluable tip-sheet to the way we live now, I Could Be Famous captures perfectly the hazards of young womanhood in a world where everyone is desperate to be looked at, but wary of being seen." --Jonathan Dee, author of Pulitzer Prize Finalist THE PRIVILEGES

"Sydney Rende's genius for the absurd is underpinned by her great comic timing. Even in her characters' darkest moments, salvation is found through an ever-present wit. Her sharply funny and fearless stories deftly satirize our too online, celebrity-obsessed cultural abyss. And if you cock your head and look closely, there is something so tender (and lonely) at the heart of them. I Could Be Famous is a wonderful debut." --Dana Spiotta, author of National Book Award Finalist EAT THE DOCUMENT

"I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. Sydney Rende is a fearless, original writer with a crushing wit. I Could Be Famous shines a scathing light into the battleground of young, beautiful, ambitious, women, their impulses often unchecked, as they teeter around celebrity. If you don't understand modern relationships, reality TV, or internet porn relations, you will by this book's end. And you'll laugh the whole way there." --Jessica Anya Blau, author of MARY JANE and SHOPGIRLS

"Shot through with a crystalline wit and mordant surprise, I Could Be Famous is an outstanding collection of short fiction by one of my new favorite writers. Whether navigating the precipitous stakes of reality television or the stark ambitions of social media influencing, the characters in Rende's fiction at once shocked and delighted me. With the same insatiable desire that animates Rende's prose, I devoured these stories." --Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, author of EVERY DROP IS A MAN'S NIGHTMARE

About the Author