The Comeback

CHAPTER ONE

Six Weeks Earlier

They recognize me when I m at CVS buying diet pills for my mom, the only kind that don t make her lose her mind.

Aren t you Grace Turner?

The woman is pleased with herself, a red flush climbing her neck and bursting proudly across her cheeks. Her companion is smaller, wiry, with narrow eyes, and I already understand that she s the type who will need me to prove it somehow, as if I have anything left to prove.

Grace Hyde, I correct, smiling politely, humbly, before turning back to the staggering array of options in front of me. The one my mom likes has a cartoon frog standing on a set of scales on the box.

Do you live around here now? the first one asks hungrily. She s already terrified that she ll forget something when she recounts the story to her friends.

I m staying with my parents. Maybe I m in the wrong section.

What was your last movie, anyway? This from the smaller one, obviously. She s scowling at me and I find myself warming to her. It s hard to find a woman who still believes that the world owes her anything. Her friend, who has been shifting from foot to foot like she needs to take a piss, jumps into action.

Your last film was Lights of Berlin. You were nominated for a Golden Globe but you d already disappeared.

Top marks, I say, forcing a smile before I turn around again. Then I put on a truly award-­worthy performance, this one of a former child star in a supermarket, dutifully shopping for all of her mom s health care needs.

Were you needed back at home? The woman puts her hand on my shoulder, and I try not to flinch at the unsolicited contact. I m sorry. It s just how you . . . you disappeared one day. Was it because your parents needed you?

Her relief is palpable, hanging off each word. And there it is. Because not only has this woman recognized me despite my badly bleached hair, ten extra pounds, and sweatpants from Target, and not only have I validated her

Ella Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky. The Comeback is her first novel.

"Ella Berman's debut novel is a Hollywood tale that packs a wallop...the reader is taken on a journey of self-discovery and redemption...Grace Turner dreams big, suffers and soars. A stunning debut."
Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife

Berman s novel of a young woman recruited far too early in her life into the Hollywood machine may be the smartest book I ve read in the past few years
Lithub

In this compulsively readable story, Berman smartly picks apart the idea of a perfect victim...It s a tale as old as time, told compassionately through a fresh new lens.
Mashable

A hopeful exploration of dealing with trauma that will have readers looking at celebrity gossip differently.
Booklist

"Raw and nuanced...slices straight down to the nerve. A chilling exposé unfolding in real time--I dare anyone to read it without squirming in suspense and in recognition.
Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

A spectacularly compelling story of a young woman finding the courage to take back control of her life ...This is a novel that will stay with me.
Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus

A raw, gripping and spellbinding account of dangerous secrets, a pining for retribution, and the power of women.
Karma Brown, author of Recipe For A Perfect Wife

A propulsive, timely study of a complicated young woman, trying to put herself back together again in Hollywood's glare. Berman's storytelling is at times darkly funny, at times rage-inducing, always gripping. I read it in 24 hours.
Laura Hankin, author of Happy and You Know It

A compelling tale of power and justice.
Harper's Bazaar

Perfectly of-the-moment, it's gripping, witty, and deeply satisfying the kind of book you lose sleep over, and cancel plans for. I loved