Ella Berman

This is a novel that uses a provocative premise to explore deeper issues in a surprisingly thoughtful way. When Grace is barely a teenager, she is chosen by a charismatic director as his muse. He moves her family from England to California, but also effectively removes Grace from their care, controlling and manipulating her along the way. After a series of events, she ends up hiding out in her parents' house, the house her money bought them, where they are unequipped to help her. When she show more hears that the director is getting a lifetime achievement award, she devises a plan to reveal to the world what he did.

But while Grace is unevenly plotting, she's also a young woman who is deeply damaged by what was done to her and she's also being ceaselessly pursued by paparazzi. But even as she's falling apart, she's learning about what she needs to do to heal. This is such a nuanced look at what fame can do to a young woman, and the problems posed by our new social media-focused society. Berman made the exploration of these issues a lot of fun even as she gave no easy answers. show less

This book... It nearly destroyed me. Written in brilliant brittle prose, it shows the main character Grace, come to fame as an actress in her early teens, floating untethered through that no man's land between life and nothingness; between detachment, depression, guilt, insecurity, loneliness, emptiness, self-destruction & utter despair and flickers of hope, trying to heal, trying to cope somehow after being abused sexually and emotionally by her mentor in Hollywood.
I felt the need to write show more down quote after quote after quote from this.
Though very different in time and the topic at its core, it had the same quality to me as Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, one of the modern classics that touched me the most. All the stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Head of Zeus, for the chance to read a copy in exchange for an honest review! show less

Our biggest mistake had been buying into the lies that had been sold to us - that we would ever truly be sexually liberated, that the summer after we graduated high school had to be unforgettable, that we would be friends for the rest of our lives.

Dark psychological thriller that has its roots in the infamous 2007 Amanda Knox incident. ICYMI, a 20-year old American vacationing in Greece was accused of killing her British roommate, and the resulting media circus convicted her long before her show more trial.

In this novel, three rich California girls spend the summer in Greece, but one dies under mysterious circumstances. The dead girl becomes a martyred angel, and every mean or selfish thing the remaining two ever posted online is used against them by the justice system and the court of public opinion. Berman does an excellent job at capturing the complex dynamics of the girls' relationships, and the volatile, hormone-laden emotions of being 18. She excoriates the media and true crime fanaticism that allows anyone with access to the internet to believe that they know The Truth, forgetting that there are often no easy answers whenever real, flawed human beings are involved.

Before We Were Innocent is not an easy read, but I'm feeling angry these days, and wanted a book that mirrored my emotions. show less

The Comeback by Ella Berman is a 2020 Berkley publication.

Painful, Powerful, and Ultimately Liberating!

After years of intense grooming as a teen star, Grace Turner, now in her early twenties, is right on the cusp of her big acting breakthrough, when she abruptly walks away from Hollywood without a word.

She’s been living under the radar, staying at her parent’s home, coping with addictions, and the pain of internalizing an insidious secret eating away at her.

As the story unfolds, show more through Grace’s flashbacks, we see the repulsive way she was molded, manipulated, and abused by powerful men in Hollywood.

When Grace returns to Hollywood, staging her 'comeback', she contacts old acquaintances, friends, and lovers- but, ultimately, she must decide how to navigate her life, and how to take control of her own destiny.

This is a dark story, approached with a polished, understated atmosphere which slowly builds tension and emotion as the horrifying truth is unveiled.

The subject matter is handled perfectly, without unnecessary or vivid details. The emotional impact is felt more strongly as a result.

The author states in her notes, that this book was written some months before the #MeToo Movement, which makes her insights even more impressive.

I was impressed with the way the author presented this convincing cautionary tale. It’s raw, dark, and sad, but not heavy handed or strident. The story is submitted with a subtle style, so as not to overpower nor downplay Grace's conflicts, or mettle; yet it still manages to drive home the harsh realities of the abuse she endured.

While nothing about this story should come as a shock at this point, it still boggles the mind that through all of the advances in entertainment, some things never change.

Overall, this is an impressive and timely debut, spotlighting the disturbing imbalance of power in the movie industry, the sickening exploitation of young performers, and the importance of recognizing your worth, your strength, and about having the courage to take control over one’s own life.

4 stars show less