I Could Be Famous (2026)
Why this one?
Essentially because I was browsing Netgalley and saw an endorsement from George Saunders (his name is so big on the - possibly provisional - cover above that it almost looks like he’s the author!) so thought it was worth a look.
Sydney Rende was born in Baltimore, MD, and later lived in New York City, where she worked as a personal assistant to an actor. She received her MFA in Fiction from Syracuse University. A self-described reality TV enthusiast, she is on the record stating that she "will challenge anyone who dares to argue that reality TV isn't high art." She currently lives in Southern California.
Her short stories have appeared in Joyland and Carve magazine, and she has written about fashion and travel for publications like Who What Wear and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Her first book, the short story collection I Could Be Famous, is informed by her interest in celebrity culture, and will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2026. Thanks to them and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thoughts, etc.
I Could Be Famous is a book of semi-connected short stories set in California and largely around the LA/Hollywood celebrity ecosystem. Ten of the stories have young women as their focus, mostly in some way connected to or on the periphery of this celebrity culture (from aspirational actors to minor reality TV stars). One more story (Trick) focuses on the established actor Arlo Banks, who has recently found his career somewhat derailed by allegations of cannibalism. He also crops up again in several of the other stories, and it is implied that he is somehow a connecting thread between all of the women in the book.
A recurring theme throughout is a desire for proximity to celebrity, whether simply by getting closer to it (attending cooler parties, messaging celebrities on social media, or in one story stealing random things from their houses), actively pursuing it, or struggling to live a ‘normal’ life outside of it (as in the story where the lead character is already a reality ‘star’). Connected to this is a recurring sense of the demands asked of (whether directly, or by assumption based on established norms) on the women in search of stardom. Its first story sees a young woman enraptured by the perceived glamour of an influencer who begins taking her to parties, before realising the latter funds her lifestyle with decidedly less glamourous activities (for which she has seemingly been grooming her). Another sees an aspiring actress ‘going method’ with her not especially appealing day job boss in order to prepare for a role. Even the less directly fame-adjacent stories feature women exploring their (usually sexual) perceived obligations to men.
Dotted amongst these stories is the intriguing (and somewhat ludicrous) character of Arlo Banks, an actor who rose to fame as the perfect boy next door but now seems to spend the majority of his waking life seeking out endless sexual encounters with vulnerable young women (of the kind that populate the book), mostly ensnaring them via his gross (though undeniably impressive if you’re into that sort of thing) ‘trick’. His already preposterous character is added to by the allegations of cannibalism, which initially seem like fabrications but our doubts build throughout his subsequent appearances. He seems to exist in the book more as an emblem of the fame that the women in the book are chasing, a deliberate caricature of the gaping void at the heart of the lifestyle being sought. He is, to at least some degree, celebrity itself. Desirable, superficial, luring in ‘fresh meat’ to serve its neverending rapacious appetite, and… I guess, if you come too close, it bites?
The stories wear their heavier thematic interests lightly, though. They’re pacey, attention-grabbing and always crafted to leave us wanting more. Their characters are quickly-sketched but always feel real and worthy of our interest. Threaded through all of them is a biting sense of humour. It’s dark humour, for sure, but also often somewhat silly with it. There are quite a few laugh out loud moments, and it’s hard not to at least smile at most of these characters and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in. Overall, the book pulls off an impressive balancing act - highlighting the absurdity of celebrity culture while also able to communicate its attraction. And however misguided some of the pathways taken by its aspirant participants may be, their foibles are of minor significance when compared to celebrity’s vapid, yet monstrous, patriarchal heart.
Score
8
An enjoyably zippy read with memorable characters, laughs and a good balance between serious subject matter and light execution.
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Next up
TBC.
