Showing posts with label Lauren Acampora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lauren Acampora. Show all posts

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Book Review - The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora

Photo Credit - Amazon


Abby Graven lives a secluded life in a small town in Michigan. She was once a bright student with a promising art career. Now, she works lives at home with her parents and works at the local supermarket as a cashier. Her former best friend, Elise is a rising starlet in Hollywood. Abby is haunted by Elise's success and Abby obsessively collects photos and articles of Elise. Abby's one escape is watching movies from her favorite director, Auguste Perren. Perren is the famous founder of the creative institute called the Rhizome. Abby has a secret gift that she keeps hidden from others. She has often had premonitory dreams that help inspire her art.

During their high school reunion, Elise and Abby reunite and plan to meet up. Abby is overjoyed that Elise still considers Abby a friend and a brilliant artist. When Elise offhandedly tells Abby to visit her if she's even in LA, Abby arrives on Elise's doorstep unexpectedly.  After spending time with Elise, Abby realizes that Elise has a few flaws that she keeps hidden from the public. Being a supportive friend, Abby tries to help Elise while protecting her own secret and trying to achieve professional success. As Elise and Abby become closer, Abby realizes she only has one way of getting what she wants.

The novel was a seductive read that was very entertaining even when I was confused about certain details. However, random and insignificant behaviors came together in the end. I thought that was a creative way to infuse small details to add more layers to make a chilling and complex story. After I finished reading the book, I was still thinking about the ending. There was a lot of details left open for interpretation.  Overall, the novel did a great job showing the lengths someone will go to fulfill their dreams.

 **Disclosure - I received a free  copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**