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Starlet

By: Anushka Joshi

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Paperback | 25 March 2027

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‘A gorgeous novel about passing and performance, about the roles we play to survive and the people who, out of love, play them alongside us . . . If this is what Joshi can do at the start of her career, it is thrilling to imagine what else will come from her mind’ Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Here I Am and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

A sweeping debut novel following a glamorous and entrancing Hollywood starlet who makes history while carrying a secret that, if exposed, could cost her everything.

1929. Estelle Thompson – a slim, dark-haired, nineteen year old – pores over magazines inspecting the local beauties of Bombay, who look nothing like her. Her days feel enchanted when she meets a young English officer who shares her love of the movies. When Estelle reveals her most guarded secret, the engagement falls through. And so, she decides to throw practicality aside and pursue a career on the screen.

Estelle reinvents herself as the elusive, vampy Merle Oberon. She spends her days falling in love again and again for the camera, then spends her nights waltzing along the red carpet in gorgeous gowns. Long days under studio lights cement Merle’s place as a household name. But Merle’s celebrity is conditional. Only her mother, disguised as her maid, knows the truth behind Merle’s picture-perfect smile.

The day comes when Merle is nominated for an Oscar, making history, unbeknownst to anyone around her. But away from the headrush of fame, Estelle finds herself anchorless in the world of glitz and glamour, continuing her necessary façade long after the director yells cut.

Searing, delightfully atmospheric and wholly mesmerizing, Starlet is impossible to forget.

'A lyrical portrayal of the spectacular rise of Merle Oberon, an actress with deep secrets who achieved dazzling heights. Joshi perfectly captures Merle’s tenacity and courage as well as the fraught political scene between the World Wars. An enthralling tale, beautifully told.' Fiona Davis, New York Times-bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

'An act of pure seductive mesmerism . . . The impossibly talented Joshi writes with such exhilaration and wit that you'll finish Starlet in awe and immediately hungry for what she pens next. Novels can’t win Oscars but Joshi’s extraordinary debut really should.' Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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