THE PAPER WASP
By Laura Acampora
After completing this book, I wasn’t sure exactly what I had just read. I fluctuated from thinking the main character, Abby, was mentally ill to wondering if I was just missing the entire point of the novel. I think it might be a little of both.
Abby is a dispirited young woman living with her equally despondent parents in Michigan. Her older sister has become enmeshed in drugs and sex and any closeness Abby may have had with her has long disappeared. Abby spends her days creating fantastical and elaborate drawings based on her dreams, and it’s clear that she has talent.
At her 10 year high school reunion, Abby reconnects with Elise, her childhood best friend. Elise is now a burgeoning movie star, and Abby devises a plan to move to California to be close to Elise and hopefully fulfill her own dreams involving her art. Dreams are actually a dominant theme in the book, and through descriptions of Abby’s, I began to question her sanity. Abby has an intense desire to meet and follow the teachings of an elusive, yet powerful figure named Perren, who has created a following through an organization known as Rhizome, in which members are “interviewed” on their dreams. I must admit, the detailed descriptions of her dreams and the “teachings” related to them seemed pretty far out and too bizarre for me to follow or stay interested.
Abby continues to weave plans and follow them toward a future that she envisions, eventually showing a very dark side to her character which affects her relationships with others. At this point, I was ready to just quit reading, as the whole book seemed like a fantasy novel, which I wasn’t expecting. I stuck with it, to see what would happen, and the ending was just as peculiar as the events leading up to it.
Although not to my taste, the writing was well done and I can see that others who are interested in dark fantasy might enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed November 2018
House of Black and Blue 