Paper Cut

The lie on which a woman has built her brand—and her life—threatens to implode in Taff’s haunting debut. Conflicting pressures converge on Los Angeles author Lucy Golden as the 20th anniversary of the murder trial that made her famous approaches. Then 16 years old, and already in the spotlight as the daughter of celebrity photographer Diana Golden, Lucy escaped a murderous California cult and confessed to killing its leader. Months after her acquittal, she published Rattlesnake, a searing memoir of her experience that’s now considered a feminist classic. On the one hand, Lucy craves the attention that an anniversary edition of Rattlesnake coupled with a proposed documentary by hunky filmmaker Isaac Coleman could generate. On the other, she’s terrified of the skeletons Isaac promises to unearth if she puts herself in front of the camera. Ultimately, she agrees to participate. Once filming gets underway, however, her increasingly triggering days of shooting intertwine with hypervivid memories of that traumatic summer to reveal dark truths about her relationship with her mother. As tightly coiled as a rattlesnake about to strike, Taff’s screen-ready exploration of art, celebrity, and exploitation makes for stay-up-all-night reading. It’s a knockout. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Agency. (Feb.)