‘All This Could Be Yours’ by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Minotaur, 368 pages, $29
Fame can be double-edged. It can bring a person admiration, but it also can produce jealousy and even obsession veering into stalking from those not in the public eye. That’s the situation that bedevils the popular and appealing Tessa Calloway in Hank Phillippi Ryan’s inviting “All This Could Be Yours.”
The book works well as a look at the cult of celebrity and the perils of social media — how so many seem to need to express opinions about others’ lives, sometimes with vile comments.
Three years ago, 40-something Tessa livestreamed the day she quit her dead-end job to write novels. It was a major gamble for the wife and mother of two, but one she felt she needed. Those millions who watched that livestream were ready for Tessa’s first novel, “All This Could Be Yours.” Now on a mega three-week book tour, Tessa hears at each stop how her character, the intelligent, fearless Annabelle Brown, has inspired them. Many mention how that inspiration led them to also quit their jobs for a more satisfying life, as Tessa and her character, Annabelle, had done. Tessa feels the love from the many bookstore stops, but she also feels guilty about not being at home for her family.
The public’s questions are mostly respectful, but some readers’ questions feel intrusive. Tessa begins to wonder whether she is being stalked, when too-personal notes appear under her hotel room’s door, items in her suitcase disappear and her luggage is lost. Then she is threatened with blackmail over a childhood incident. Her worries about her family grow from not being there to parent to worrying about their safety.
Ryan’s knack for realistic suspense that could occur to anyone again shines in “All This Could Be Yours,” zeroing in on seemingly innocuous situations that escalate into something threatening. Tessa’s ambition and her worries about her family while she is away add to the believable plot.
It may seem like a glamorous life to be on a book tour, talking about your work, but Ryan balances that with showing the grueling schedule of a different city every day, late planes, no time to eat and other challenges.
“All This Could Be Yours” is another entertaining story from Ryan.
