ARC Review: The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor

The Fiction Writer
Author: Jillian Cantor
Publication: Park Row (November 28, 2023)

Description: From USA Today-bestselling Jillian Cantor, The Fiction Writer follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts.

The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel—a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA.

At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.

With as many twists and turns as the California coast, The Fiction Writer is a page-turner that explores the boundaries of creative freedom and whose stories we have the right to tell.

My Thoughts: Failing author Olivia Fitzgerald jumps at the chance to be a ghost writer in this gothic story. Olivia's first novel was a success, her second sold barely a thousand copies, and her editor hasn't been able to sell her third book. And her boyfriend of nine years has just dumped her. When her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia quickly signs the NDA and heads off to LA. 

When she learns that Henry Asherwood III a.k.a. Ash wants her to write the story of his grandmother Emilia's life, she's intrigued but skeptical. Ash is convinced the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca was stolen from his grandmother since it is the story of her life. He says that he wants Olivia to write the story because he read her second novel Becky which was also a retelling of Rebecca.

Olivia soon finds herself in her own retelling of Rebecca complete with a mysterious hero who might or might not have murdered his wife and who is very reluctant to answer questions about his grandmother's life and why he thinks du Maurier stole her story. There is also a mysterious housekeeper who has an agenda of her own and who was Ash's deceased wife's cousin. 

This was one twisty sort of thriller that takes a woman from a very unhappy state and transforms her. Olivia, though initially dazzled by Ash, manages to regain her independence and confidence as this story advances. She's helped by old friend Noah who has loved her from afar since their college days. 

Fans of meta fiction would be the best audience for this one. 

Favorite Quote:

"This feels very meta, doesn't it? Gorgeous widower, big house on the water, rumors about his wife's death."

Is that what had been bothering me, what I couldn't quite put into words? I'd practically stepped inside my own personal retelling of Rebecca, hadn't I? And I was supposed to be writing some sort of story about Emilia Asherwood and Rebecca, after I'd written my own Rebecca retelling. Charley was right. Extremely meta.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.