Coming of the recent trend of the "sad girl novel," Stephanie Lacava's newest novel I Fear My Pain Interests You could not be published at a better time. The book focuses on Margot, a spunky nepotism baby who is failing in her career as an actress. She fits the textbook trope of the "unhinged girl," but lacks any charisma that makes other characters in novels like this so interesting.

For a title as enticing as "I Fear My Pain Interests You," Lacava's writing doesn't hold up either. Instead of the flowing prose that was seemingly promised, the novel instead invites you to read a story that doesn't seem to truly have a voice. Instead, Lacava offers up a mildly intriguing character with Margot, but one that isn't as intriguing as the "messy" female characters who came before her.

While the awareness of her privilege does make Margot a tad more sympathetic, she's just not interesting. That is, until she gets diagnosed with a mysterious illness, made known to her by a mysterious man she meets in a graveyard. This is just the final act of the novel, but the story would have benefited from this being the plotline that guides Margot's story.

Unrefreshing and abysmal comes Stephanie Lacava's newest novel. Perhaps the "sad girl," trope is tiring myself and others out, or perhaps this novel just isn't very good. As much as I wanted to love it, and as much as I strived to find some sense of purpose in "I Fear My Pain Interests You," I ultimately found none.

Stephanie LaCava is a talent. Her prose is unendingly interesting. In her new novel, she seems to be tackling a lot of the same themes/subjects as her previous effort (art and artmaking, trauma, family). Only, I will admit, this one felt a little more scatter-brained, less linear. I thought it could have used a more traditional arc, at least for cohesion's sake. Still, her sentences are lovely, her characters well-rendered, lonely and full of heartbreak, and the world, one filled with artists, is fascinating. I found myself immersed in this world, despite my desire for something more grounded to time.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley!

The daughter of two self-absorbed rock stars finds herself adrift after her affair with a film director collapses, and she flees to a cabin in Montana to hide from the world. She meets a local man and falls into an odd relationship with him, but he of course turns out to be terrible as well. LaCava writes well but the story is relentlessly bleak and lonely.

The plot and ideas of this book immediately intrigued me and I thought that the book delivered on many of those promises. I did find my attention wavering during the first half of this novel, and wish that more of the book comprised of the events of the second half. The relationship with the character Graves, the 60s cinema references, and the 'cinema du corps' aspects should have taken up more space in the story than it ultimately did, because those were the strongest, and most interesting parts to read. Despite this minor setback, the front half of the book perfectly set up the emotional space and emptiness of our character for the latter half. I found certain parts of this book frustrating because I longed for more, but I am excited by Lacava's writing and look forward to reading more of her work.