I Could Be Famous

‘A terrific debut: fresh, original, and surprising’ GEORGE SAUNDERS

‘Rende’s genius for the absurd is underpinned by her great comic timing’ DANA SPIOTTA

‘Outstanding… shot through with a crystalline wit and mordant surprise’ MEGAN KAMALEI KAKIMOTO

‘Rende’s funny, sweet, stinging voice is made for this moment’ JONATHAN DEE

This is the story of ten ambitious women – and one male superstar fallen from grace – as they stumble through the delusional pursuit of fame

A struggling actress goes method to land the role of High School Junkie Girlfriend.

A college freshman gives the world’s longest blowjob to a boy whose name she’s forgotten. An assistant helping to film celebrity homes develops a taste for kleptomania. And linking them all is Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor facing downfall when he’s accused of cannibalism. From the dazzling to the mundane, Sydney Rende’s unnerving and darkly funny stories hold a mirror to our obsession with self-image and the idea that we could – someday, somehow – be famous.

Author Biography

Sydney Rende grew up in Baltimore and lived in New York City for many years, where she had her own odd brushes with celebrity while working as a personal assistant to an actor. She received her MFA in Fiction from Syracuse University, and her stories have been published in Joyland, Carve Magazine, and elsewhere. A reality TV enthusiast since that fateful night in 2007 when LC called Spencer Pratt a “Sucky Person,” she will challenge anyone who dares to argue that reality TV isn’t high art. She now lives in Southern California.