Maeve Fly

A Novel of L.A. by CJ Leede

5/5 Star Review

“Where is the savagery in women? Where is the barbarism?… I have never understood, and still do not understand the notion that a woman must first endure a victimhood of some sort – abandonment, abuse, oppression of the patriarchy – to be monstrous. Men have always been permitted in fiction and in life to simply be what they are, no matter how dark or terrifying that might be. But with a woman, we expect an answer, a reason. But why would she do it? Why, why, why?”

Holy shit! I loved this book!

Maeve Fly is the granddaughter of Tallulah Fly, a starlet and Old Hollywood Royalty. She is a wolf among sheep who spends her days working as the infamous ice queen in the happiest place on earth. Her best friend is an up-and-coming actress who portrays her sister at the theme park. She spends her days living a very specific routine until the day comes that she stops and her world turns invariably upside down.

Maeve Fly is simultaneously a love letter to Los Angeles and American Psycho. The city lives and breathes in this novel just as much as any character. To understand L.A. is to understand Maeve. She reads the classics and imitates her misanthropic literary heroes. Always hiding her real self so that she prowls and slinks unnoticed along the strip.

Maeve is a Halloween queen and loves Halloween inspired music with some Billie Holiday sprinkled on the side. The novel is full of song breakdowns, including a personal favorite of mine – Werewolf Bar Mitzvah from an episode of 30 Rock (If you don’t know what I am talking about, go to YouTube right now and look it up). Without giving away spoilers, there is a scene during which this song is played that will forever be ingrained in my mind every time I hear this song in the future.

Maeve is controlled and unhinged and I love her. She is intelligent and predatory and cultured. She is our darkest desires personified. She is who we wish we could, on some level, be. Or maybe that’s just me.

If you’re ready to sit back and let a woman take the wheel, look no further than Maeve Fly. You will not be disappointed. This was an absolutely stellar debut novel and I can’t sing its praises highly enough.