When the most famous producer in Hollywood plucks seventeen-year-old Elsa Emerson from a party and gives her a brand-new name, a star of the silver screen is born. Laura Lamont. Having spent the summers of her childhood at her father’s roadside theatre, all she has ever wanted is to act. Here, it seems, is her dream come true. Step by step – new figure, new wardrobe, new house, new husband – she succumbs to the consuming power of the studio. But her transformation is more profound than she could ever have foreseen . . . Taking us from the spotlight and into the shadows, Emma Straub’s sweeping and wildly enjoyable novel has all the glamour and tragedy of the movies. As the lights darken and the credits roll it asks: how many people can we be in a lifetime? And at what cost?