Sweet Fury
A Novel
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
When a beloved actress is cast in a feminist adaptation of a Fitzgerald classic, she finds herself the victim in a deadly game of revenge in which everyone, on screen and off, is playing a part.
“A breathlessly fun, dark, and twisty tale of feminist revenge.” —Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice
Lila Crayne is America’s sweetheart: she’s generous and kind, gorgeous and magnetic. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning new West Village apartment and are set to begin filming their feminist adaptation of Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night.
To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins working with accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila’s impeccably manicured life begins to unravel on the therapy couch—and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. But everyone has a secret, and no one is quite who they seem.
A twisty, thought-provoking, “wildly imaginative” (Joyce Carol Oates) novel of construction and deconstruction in conversation with the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sweet Fury is a bold critique of America’s deep-rooted misogyny. With this novel, Bischoff probes the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator and examines the true meaning of justice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bischoff debuts with a beguiling tale of abuse and ambition. Thirty-something movie star Lila Crayne has long dreamed of starring in a feminist retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. She's finally made it happen, with her fiancé, Kurt Royall, as director. In preparation for the role, she undergoes psychotherapy with Jonah Gabriel, to whom she claims Kurt is abusing her. Jonah, who met Lila while they were students at Princeton, has a long-standing obsession with her, which threatens his relationship with his fiancée, Maggie. Lila, meanwhile, will stop at nothing to make the film about "female empowerment," and she manipulates those working on the film, including the screenwriter, to tell the story the way she wants it. As Jonah fantasizes about saving Lila, Kurt and Maggie begin piecing together competing and distorted versions of the truth, as Maggie secretly reads Jonah's notes from his sessions with Lila, and Lila threatens to spill the beans about Kurt's alleged abuse. Bischoff reveals one surprising secret after another, all the way until the bombshell final twist. It's an inspired first outing. Agents: Andrea Blatt and Suzanne Gluck, WME.
