The Body Double

The nature of selfhood, reality, and power struggles in human relationships lie at the center of Beyda’s eerie debut. The nameless heroine, living in a small, unnamed town, once had dreams of being in the movies and mistakenly thought that working in a movie theater would bring her closer. Years later, she feels defeated and trapped in the job working concessions, but too exhausted to make a change. Salvation comes from a surprising place: a smooth operator named Max offers her the dream job of impersonating superstar Rosanna Feld, who has had a nervous breakdown. Flown on a private plane to Los Angeles, the narrator is taken to an apartment building where she’s essentially a prisoner. By painful inches, she’s transformed into a credible Rosanna: punishing exercise regimen, restrictive diet, even cosmetic surgery to change the contours of her face. The only person she sees is Max, and she slowly surrenders to his control. In turn, he becomes more affectionate with her. But as she gains confidence as Rosanna, successfully facing the public and even Rosanna’s friends, the dynamics of their relationship changes. Beyda favors a slow-burning, deliberate pace, but her psychological thriller weaves a shroud of menace and anxiety. This auspicious debut will get under the reader’s skin and stay there. Agent: Amelia Atlas. ICM Partners. (Mar.)