A Touch of Jen
-
-
3.6 • 50 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
A young couple's toxic Instagram crush spins out of control and unleashes a sinister creature in this twisted, viciously funny story.
"Um, holy shit ... This novel will be the most fun you'll have this summer." —Emily Temple, Literary Hub
Remy and Alicia, a couple of insecure service workers, are not particularly happy together. But they are bound by a shared obsession with Jen, a beautiful former co-worker of Remy’s who now seems to be following her bliss as a globe-trotting jewelry designer. In and outside the bedroom, Remy and Alicia's entire relationship revolves around fantasies of Jen, whose every Instagram caption, outfit, and new age mantra they know by heart.
Imagine their confused excitement when they run into Jen, in the flesh, and she invites them on a surfing trip to the Hamptons with her wealthy boyfriend and their group. Once there, Remy and Alicia try (a little too hard) to fit into Jen’s exalted social circle, but violent desire and class resentment bubble beneath the surface of this beachside paradise, threatening to erupt. As small disturbances escalate into outright horror, we find ourselves tumbling with Remy and Alicia into an uncanny alternate reality, one shaped by their most unspeakable, deviant, and intoxicating fantasies. Is this what “self-actualization” looks like?
Part millennial social comedy, part psychedelic horror, and all wildly entertaining, A Touch of Jen is a sly, unflinching examination of the hidden drives that lurk just outside the frame of our carefully curated selves.
"Bananas good." —Carmen Maria Machado
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Morgan's witty if uneven debut attempts a fantastical combination of millennial ennui, obsession, and shape-shifting horror. Remy and Alicia are a barely functioning 30-something couple who both work as servers in different restaurants and share a Brooklyn apartment with a roommate. Remy and Alicia's relationship revolves around the beautiful and confident Jen, a former colleague of Remy's, who runs her own jewelry business. The couple receives alerts whenever Jen posts on social media, and they spend most of their time drinking and analyzing Jen's posts. Alicia also role-plays as Jen as part of their sexual relationship ("What would you do if Jen were in the shower right now?" Alicia calls from the bathroom). The pace picks up when Remy and Alicia join Jen, along with her boyfriend and a few other friends, on a weekend surfing trip to Montauk. As the couple's fixation on Jen becomes more dangerous and absurd, the lives of several characters, most notably Remy, are permanently altered. There are a few early signs of a horror plot (in Montauk, Remy thinks he sees a giant beetle outside the window, then hears screams), but the gory transition in the final act feels abrupt. Morgan does a great job with the obsession theme, but otherwise this is a bit too messy.
Customer Reviews
Mildly annoyed
I expected so much more but I’d read it again 🤣
5 stars
This was a fun read!
Unsettling but engrossing
Couldn’t put it down in the way you can’t look away from an accident on the highway. Uncomfortable and thrilling at once. Weird and thought provoking. I’m not sure if I liked it but I would recommend it.