Diana Adair

First published in 2024, this novel tells the story of 1950s Hollywood through several different perspectives. Told through different points of view, the plot focuses on the making of a major film. A young woman from Mexico, Vera Larios, is cast as the lead character, and she soon ends up in a terrible conflict with Nancy Hartley, who believes herself worthy of the lead role.

This novel encompasses a sweeping tapestry, with themes related to race and history, as well as society’s expectation of women during this time, and the culture of old Hollywood. Minor characters, though, do not seem fully developed but perhaps that is due to the limited points of view. What I loved most about this novel was the way that the story about Vera, the person, was choreographed with parallel structure to the story of the film, about Salome.

I found the pacing to be suspenseful, which pulled me along, but  I wondered, at times, if some of the minor characters were painted with too broad of a brush. Overall, I found myself enraptured, and the book ended with a beautiful and destructive collapse from various vantage points.

Read more at Book Passage: The Seventh Veil of Salome