Book Review: Looker by Laura Sims

One of my all-time favorite books is Come Closer by Sara Gran. Like Looker by Laura Sims, it's a concise story about a woman's downward spiral into madness—except that she has an actual demon to blame for her destruction. In Looker, the narrator is possessed by her envy of what others have that she does not: a baby; fame; a better job; a nicer apartment; a partner; happiness. If you've ever succumbed to the jealousy bug, you know how it can greedily devour your self-esteem and self-worth until there's not much of you left over.

The narrator in Looker is a woman in a marriage made unstable by too many unsuccessful rounds of IVF that have drained their savings account. Her husband's cat takes the place of a child in their life, leading her to feel resentment toward the animal. Her husband has more education, a better job, and is more respected in his field. In the more expensive brownstone next to theirs lives a beautiful A-list actress and her perfect family. Every move the A-lister makes and every word the A-lister speaks is like an artfully filmed moment in one of her movies to this narrator, who so wants to involve herself in the A-lister's world. And little by little she does, and depends more and more on a sign, any sign, of acceptance by this A-lister who doesn't even know her name.

Looker is well written and lean. But don't expect this book to be a thriller à la Gone Girl. Looker is a psychological study about how you need to tend to your own garden—personally, professionally, and mentally.