With little evidence, would-be author P.J. Larkin serves a “nibble” on the trendy new social-media app Crave, accusing editor George Dunn of stealing the novel she submitted to him for publication. The nibble shoots to the top of the site’s Popular Menu Items and before you can say “unpaid literary labor,” George is embroiled in a scandal, his job and book deal in jeopardy. P.J.’s novel is snapped up amid the publicity, but has she revealed secrets belonging to her sister, Mia, in the book? Some diners on Crave think so and now it’s P.J.’s turn to feel the public’s scorn.
Told in the humorous vein of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, A COMPLETE FICTION examines the very serious questions of who has a right to tell a story, and has cancel culture gone too far in our social media-drenched world.
Review
I picked up R.L. Maizes’ A Complete Fiction expecting a clever literary premise, and I finished it contemplating lived experiences, authorship, trauma, and the uncomfortable messiness of storytelling. This novel does not shy away from complicated questions and certainly does not provide clean answers.
At the centre of the story are the two warring protagonists: P.J. and George, two novelists who have struggled to get published, and one that finally has had a big break. And both have potentially crossed ethical lines in their latest work. P.J. is passionate about social justice and impulsive; George is living with shame and unable to process his past traumas directly. Each of these novelists are sympathetic, though I was particularly drawn to George’s narrative.
I appreciated how the novel tackled the tricky subject of plagiarism. Not the obvious, cut-and-paste kind, but the murkier territory where stories overlap, inspire, or echo one another. Where is the line between literary influence and theft? And what about when borrowing an element of someone else’s lived experience, particularly when that experience involves trauma? Maizes is clearly aware of contemporary debates around representation, voice, and ownership. There is a further layer of mob mentality and cancel culture.
One of the most powerful aspects of the book is its depiction of the long-term impacts of sexual trauma, including for male survivors whose stories remain underrepresented in fiction. The novel sensitively explores how trauma shapes identity, relationships, and self-esteem over decades.
In many ways, A Complete Fiction feels like a more sympathetic, emotionally grounded, and less satirical cousin to novels like Yellowface (which I also loved). This is a clever novel that remains both entertaining and funny throughout. And importantly, it gives readers plenty to think about.
Thank you to Text Publishing who provided a copy of the novel in exchange for a review.
Review by Elise
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