Aspiring writer PJ Larkin is stuck being a rideshare driver as her pile of unpublished manuscripts grows. She had high hopes for her latest novel, a #MeToo story about sexual harassment of an intern, until editor George Dunn rejected it. A few months later, when she sees that George has sold his own story for $1 million, and the story outline sounds similar to hers, PJ sees red and impulsively calls him out on social media.
Within hours, there’s a social media pile-on to George. He loses his job and his book deal is jeopardised. PJ’s novel gets picked up by another publisher and it looks like her dream of being a famous author is coming true. But when her sister, Mia, accuses PJ of betraying her story and secrets, the online mob comes for him.
While A Complete Fiction is not the first novel to explore cancel culture, the perils of the online world and who has the right to tell certain stories, it is a great read. This story about modern-day publishing and shallow, hysterical responses to issues that require nuance is told with humour and empathy, and a sensitive approach to both P J and George’s experiences.
Reviewed by Melinda Woledge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After her highly praised collection of stories, We Love Anderson Cooper, R.L. Maizes wrote a successful novel, Other People’s Pets. Her stories and essays have been published widely and she is the recipient of a number of prizes and fellowships. Maizes was born in Queens, New York, and lives in Boulder County, Colorado, with her husband and her muses: Rosie, a rescue dog, and the ghost of Arie the Cat.
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