We Play Ourselves
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- Create Date：2021-02-10 04:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jen Silverman
- ISBN：9780399591525
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Summary
After a humiliating scandal， a young writer flees to the West Coast， where she is drawn into the morally ambiguous orbit of a charismatic filmmaker and the teenage girls who are her next subjects。
“A blistering story about the costs of creating art。”—O: The Oprah Magazine （LGBTQ Books That Will Change the Literary Landscape）
Not too long ago， Cass was a promising young playwright in New York， hailed as “a fierce new voice” and “queer， feminist， and ready to spill the tea。” But at the height of all this attention， Cass finds herself at the center of a searing public shaming， and flees to Los Angeles to escape—and reinvent herself。 There she meets her next-door neighbor Caroline， a magnetic filmmaker on the rise， as well as the pack of teenage girls who hang around her house。 They are the subjects of Caroline’s next semidocumentary movie， which follows the girls’ clandestine activity: a Fight Club inspired by the violent classic。
As Cass is drawn into the film’s orbit， she is awed by Caroline’s ambition and confidence。 But over time， she becomes troubled by how deeply Caroline is manipulating the teens in the name of art—especially as the consequences become increasingly disturbing。 With her past proving hard to shake and her future one she’s no longer sure she wants， Cass is forced to reckon with her own ambitions and confront what she has come to believe about the steep price of success。
“A blistering story about the costs of creating art。”—O: The Oprah Magazine （LGBTQ Books That Will Change the Literary Landscape）
Not too long ago， Cass was a promising young playwright in New York， hailed as “a fierce new voice” and “queer， feminist， and ready to spill the tea。” But at the height of all this attention， Cass finds herself at the center of a searing public shaming， and flees to Los Angeles to escape—and reinvent herself。 There she meets her next-door neighbor Caroline， a magnetic filmmaker on the rise， as well as the pack of teenage girls who hang around her house。 They are the subjects of Caroline’s next semidocumentary movie， which follows the girls’ clandestine activity: a Fight Club inspired by the violent classic。
As Cass is drawn into the film’s orbit， she is awed by Caroline’s ambition and confidence。 But over time， she becomes troubled by how deeply Caroline is manipulating the teens in the name of art—especially as the consequences become increasingly disturbing。 With her past proving hard to shake and her future one she’s no longer sure she wants， Cass is forced to reckon with her own ambitions and confront what she has come to believe about the steep price of success。
Editor Reviews
12/07/2020
A playwright’s public shame and jealousy traps her in self-doubt in this mordant debut novel from Silverman （after the collection The Island Dwellers）。 Thirty-three-year-old playwright Cass flees New York after an embarrassing public meltdown in which she deliberately poked her nemesis， Yale senior and hot new playwright Tara-Jean Slater， in the eye。 Unlike Tara-Jean’s work， Cass’s first play is a mess。 A bad review compounds her sense of failure after having an affair with her married lead actor and having her advances rebuffed by the older French director， who tells her， “There are many kinds of intimacy， it’s so easy to confuse them all。” In Los Angeles， she rooms with a friend who faces an impending breakup with his Australian boyfriend， who still hasn’t come out after a decade together。 Cass meets charismatic filmmaker Caroline， who recruits Cass to work on a Fight Club–inspired cinema verité project starring teenage girls。 After one of the girls goes missing， Cass learns Caroline is not only manipulative but deceitful。 This， plus an illuminating encounter with Tara-Jean， prompts some soul searching。 While the ending feels a bit unresolved， Cass’s dark humor and acts of self-sabotage keep the reader engaged。 Silverman’s genuine， stirring novel speaks volumes about the lure and fickleness of fame。 Agent: Allison Hunter， Janklow & Nesbit Assoc。 （Feb。）
Excerpt
Read an Excerpt
1
I exit LAX and the warm air slaps me awake。 The first thing I smell is car exhaust。 Then， just under it: desert。 People are already upset， a traffic cop is shouting at a red sports car and waving her arms。 I think: Turn around。 I think: This is not your city。
Dylan’s van is farther up。 I recognize it because there is only one of its kind in the world—this is what Dylan said on the phone last night: “You’ll know it when you see it， it’s the only one of its kind in the world。” And here it is: spray-painted silver， a big gaping mouth splashed across the front， rows of jaggy shark teeth。 Two big cartoon eyes goggling out at the smog。 The windows are cranked down all the way， and I catch a glimpse of Dylan before he sees me: head tilted back， shaggy mop of hair， bopping along to some featureless beat。 He hasn’t changed since we were eighteen。 In another fifty years he’ll still look like this。
As if feeling my gaze， Dylan’s eyes snap open—electric blue—and he’s staring straight at me in the rearview mirror。 “Cass！”
“Hey。”
“Welcome！ Get in！”
I pull open the van door and a stink hits me。 Not any smell I know。 Something like tang and decay and sugar。
“Stingray died in here，” Dylan says， easy。 He pulls me into a hug， ignoring the car behind us that has started to honk。 “It’s so good to see you。”
“You too，” I say， as the honking becomes an urgent staccato pulse。 “Should we 。 。 。 ？”
Dylan lets me go， runs his hand through my hair—“Even shorter than last time”—and pulls us out into the circular creep of traffic around the terminal。 “How was your flight？”
“Good。” I crank the window the rest of the way down and brace myself for more questions—I did， after all， show up with only a day’s notice。 But he’s navigating the bottleneck leading out of the airport， a frown line carving his forehead， paying exquisite attention to the road。 I remember he drove like this in college too—always the designated driver。
We’re quiet even after we get onto the highway。 It all seems like a strange dream: the palm trees soaring up， up， up， increasingly unlikely parabolas of trunk that explode into fronds at the top。 The light is desert light， and the 105 is packed bumper to bumper; it feels like everybody is breathing in unison， barely separated by the thin skins of our cars。
I didn’t sleep last night。 I left my roommate Nico a month’s rent in cash， and a note in which I told him he could sell whatever furniture was mine and keep the money。 He’s in Berlin for five weeks， and I was aware， as I slipped out， that my exit was neither honest nor brave。 And yet the need to leave felt clearer than anything else had felt in the past several months。 Or if what I felt was not clarity， at least it was adrenaline。
I told almost no one that I was leaving。 There aren’t a lot of people who would care—for the right reasons， I mean。 People want to know what I’m doing about all of the messy aftermath so that they can report back to each other in low voices。 Whether or not Tara-Jean Slater is suing me; if it’s true that I got tased; that cops came; that the NYPD put out a bulletin; that my agency dropped me; that I’d been arrested but my agent paid bail; that my agent had refused to pay bail， and I’m still locked up somewhere in lower Manhattan; that Tara-Jean Slater’s dad is an attorney and he got me moved to Rikers。 Rikers feels like a reach to me， but then again， I’m supposed to be the one out of touch with reality， so what do I know。 Maybe Rikers really was around the corner。
That isn’t why I left—I didn’t think I was going to prison—but whenever I ran into vague acquaintances， they looked surprised to see me in public。 Eventually that starts to wear on you， and you stop leaving your apartment， and you become a shut-in， and the only way to jog yourself loose from your life， from every detail of your life， is to abandon it。
Other than Dylan， I called only one person last night: Liz， my ex-girlfriend。 I was calling to say goodbye， because I felt like it might be strange if she ever came looking for me and I was simply gone， but before I could say anything， she was whispering furiously into the phone: “Cass， we can have coffee， sometimes， in a professional setting， but if you want to hire me for anything you should have your people call my people。” And then she paused and asked， “Do you still have people？” And that was insulting enough—in part because of its accuracy—that I hung up without saying anything at all。
I’m lost in my thoughts when Dylan says abruptly， “So， look， we’re really happy to have you， but I wanna give you a heads-up about something。”
I snap back。 Stingray smell。 Dylan’s eyes， blue like some improbable crayon。
“What’s that？”
Dylan clears his throat， squints at the road。 “About me and Daniel。”
“Uh 。 。 。 okay？” I’ve only met Dylan’s boyfriend a few times in the decade they’ve been together。 Daniel is Australian， five years older than we are。 He has always seemed very serious to me， someone who has an adult job and who takes nothing lightly。
Dylan sighs。 I wait for any number of possibilities to enter the space between us。 Daniel and I decided to charge you five thousand bucks a month。 We’re starting a cult。 We perform abortions in the living room。
“Okay，” Dylan says。 “Well。 Daniel and I are 。 。 。 in kind of a place。” He glances at me。 “It’s this whole thing about how he never planned to stay in the U。S。， and how I should know that， because even when we met he always said—but the thing is， I don’t think he felt that way then。 Which， maybe I just forgot， but my distinct impression was that Sydney was hell for him， because he wasn’t out in Sydney， and L。A。 is like 。 。 。 you know。 L。A。” This time Dylan says “L。A。” like it’s a synonym for paradise。 I watch the asphalt ribbon of highway， wending slowly ahead of us， the yellow haze of polluted air hanging above it， and I say， “Uh-huh，” in what I hope is an encouraging tone。
“And now he’s all like， ‘Sydney is my home， of course I’m going back， my parents live there， my sister had a baby，’ and he was looking for jobs in Sydney—which， to be honest， I thought was a phase， because he’d go through them occasionally—but then he found a job， and he accepted it， and he bought a plane ticket， and now he’s leaving January first。”
“No way，” I say， startled。 Dylan and I haven’t stayed in close touch over the years， but whenever we’ve spoken， he’s been firmly ensconced in their house， in their life。 Dylan was twenty-three when they met， and as a consequence he is more accustomed to using “we” than “I。” Although I don’t know Daniel well， I think of his presence as a solid， unchanging fact。 “January first，” I say。 “Jesus。 That’s very symbolic。” When Dylan darts his eyes from the road to my face， I know it was the wrong thing to say。
“Tickets are super cheap on January first，” Dylan tells me。
“I’m sure， yeah。”
“He also didn’t tell me any of this until he’d decided，” Dylan blurts。 “I was like， Well， let’s talk about this， and he was like， I bought the ticket。 Which。 I think 。 。 。” And then Dylan presses his lips together in a firm line and doesn’t say what he thinks。
We sit in silence for a long moment。 The traffic has slowed to a crawl， and Dylan stares intensely at the road， as if he’s punishing it。 I say: “I’m sorry。”
“It’s life，” Dylan responds automatically， as if he’s had to tell this to a lot of different people over the past few weeks。 Then， as the traffic starts moving again， he takes a deep breath， blows it out， and says， as if he’s back on track with the message he meant to deliver: “So！ We’re in a place where we’re figuring out， uh， a lot of things。 And we both wanted you to know that coming in。 So that you’d sort of—you know， if you come into the room and the energy is intense， you wouldn’t be 。 。 。” He shrugs。 “Bummed。”
“Got it，” I say。 “And thanks for letting me stay right now。”
“No， no，” Dylan says quickly。 “That’ll be good for us。 Having a guest。” He grins with one side of his mouth。 “Less screaming all around。”
“But if you do scream， I’ll consider myself well warned。”
“Oh good。” Dylan’s tone is dry。
I debate asking the question， and then can’t help it。 “Do you think you’d move to Sydney？”
Dylan frowns。 “Sydney 。 。 。” he says。
I wait for a follow-up， but there isn’t one。
Reviews
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Brittany Wellman
，
“I lie awake for a long time， eyes wide and dry， listening for the sound of something somewhere happening to someone before it happens to me。”“If you’re wondering what it feels like to want two completely opposite things to the same degree， at the same time， for entirely different reasons-- it feels insane。 But then again， maybe it’s hard to be alive on this planet and not know how that feels。”“‘There are so many lives ahead of us all。’”This work of millennial fiction was an entertaining read th “I lie awake for a long time， eyes wide and dry， listening for the sound of something somewhere happening to someone before it happens to me。”“If you’re wondering what it feels like to want two completely opposite things to the same degree， at the same time， for entirely different reasons-- it feels insane。 But then again， maybe it’s hard to be alive on this planet and not know how that feels。”“‘There are so many lives ahead of us all。’”This work of millennial fiction was an entertaining read that follows Cass， a thirty-something year old playwright， who flees NYC for LA after being involved in a scandal。 As Cass works to reinvent herself， she must also sort out the catastrophe she has caused。 This novel focuses on themes of female genius， creativity， and rage; desire; jealousy; the subjectivity of art; and forgiveness （of one’s self and of others）。 This novel also touches on how Hollywood， plays， and other art forms frequently use diversity， sexuality， gender， and trauma as ways to gain viewers and fans without actually ever caring about these issues or trying to change the ways in which these are viewed。 Cass is a very contradicting character， and I related to her intensely。 She wants to be both at all times; she wants to be both successful or famous but also invisible。 She wants to be extremely happy but also just content。 She wants to be far， far away from home but also at home。 I found these depictions to be very realistic because I too also feel the intense desire and pressure to be everything at once。 And because that isn’t possible， it is far too easy to feel as if you are nothing。 。。。more
Brittany Wellman
，
“I lie awake for a long time， eyes wide and dry， listening for the sound of something somewhere happening to someone before it happens to me。”“If you’re wondering what it feels like to want two completely opposite things to the same degree， at the same time， for entirely different reasons-- it feels insane。 But then again， maybe it’s hard to be alive on this planet and not know how that feels。”“‘There are so many lives ahead of us all。’”This work of millennial fiction was an entertaining read th “I lie awake for a long time， eyes wide and dry， listening for the sound of something somewhere happening to someone before it happens to me。”“If you’re wondering what it feels like to want two completely opposite things to the same degree， at the same time， for entirely different reasons-- it feels insane。 But then again， maybe it’s hard to be alive on this planet and not know how that feels。”“‘There are so many lives ahead of us all。’”This work of millennial fiction was an entertaining read that follows Cass， a thirty-something year old playwright， who flees NYC for LA after being involved in a scandal。 As Cass works to reinvent herself， she must also sort out the catastrophe she has caused。 This novel focuses on themes of female genius， creativity， and rage; desire; jealousy; the subjectivity of art; and forgiveness （of one’s self and of others）。 This novel also touches on how Hollywood， plays， and other art forms frequently use diversity， sexuality， gender， and trauma as ways to gain viewers and fans without actually ever caring about these issues or trying to change the ways in which these are viewed。 Cass is a very contradicting character， and I related to her intensely。 She wants to be both at all times; she wants to be both successful or famous but also invisible。 She wants to be extremely happy but also just content。 She wants to be far， far away from home but also at home。 I found these depictions to be very realistic because I too also feel the intense desire and pressure to be everything at once。 And because that isn’t possible， it is far too easy to feel as if you are nothing。 。。。more
Lex Kent
，
3。25 Stars。 This was interesting。 In the end I don’t think that this book was for me， but I did really like the author’s writing style。 The way Silverman writes， got me through a book that I might have really struggled with otherwise。 The last two books I’ve read in a row， I have had similar experiences with。 The book I reviewed right before this one， I didn’t enjoy and it was my own fault for misreading the blurb。 With this book， I actually did not misread anything。 The book blurb makes you thi 3。25 Stars。 This was interesting。 In the end I don’t think that this book was for me， but I did really like the author’s writing style。 The way Silverman writes， got me through a book that I might have really struggled with otherwise。 The last two books I’ve read in a row， I have had similar experiences with。 The book I reviewed right before this one， I didn’t enjoy and it was my own fault for misreading the blurb。 With this book， I actually did not misread anything。 The book blurb makes you think that this book is in a certain genre， which it is not。 This is contemporary or literary fiction， and is not a thriller with a mystery twist that the blurb leads you to believe。 The blurb gave me certain expectations， that the book just could not meet， and I don’t think that is fair to the author。 I know it may be too late， with the book coming out in only two days， but I would change the blurb so readers are not disappointed and so this book will be targeted to the right audience。 This is a first person story about Cass， a playwright， who flees to L。A。 after a scandal of her own making。 Cass wants to reinvent herself and gets sucked into the world of indie moviemaking about a group of teenage girls who have their own “Fight Club”。 We get to see， through flashbacks， Cass success as a playwright， her downfall， and what her life is like now in L。A。 in present time。 It’s an odd premise for sure， and the story gets even weirder as you read it。 I kept waiting for the mystery/thriller part to happen and was left scratching my head wondering “what am I reading？” when it didn’t。 One of the issues I had was that Cass is not the easiest character to like。 It’s tough being in first person POV with someone you are struggling to connect with。 She can be very self-centered， jealous， has a real woe is me attitude， and loves to run when anything gets tough。 I don’t know that I can say if she ever really grew in the end， but I did find her a little more palatable as the book went on。 Her relationship with one of the teenagers named BB –Cass is bisexual and BB is queer， so they seemed to bond over that plus Cass just knew how to really talk to BB- these scenes ended up being some of my favorite。 They showed Cass in a better light and the character of BB really was the most interesting character of the whole book。 I have to mention that I’m a bit disappointed in the end。 Maybe it is just not that kind of book， but I really wanted some better closure。 Towards the end Cass seemed to be doing better， she was making amends to people and sticking up for herself， but then she fell into an old bad habit， which seemed to stop any growth I thought was happening。 You see a spark of something at the end， but I was left saying “that’s it？” I feel like I spent a good amount of time on this book and I needed something more than the ending we get。 In the end， this was not the book I thought I was getting and I had a few issues that were pretty big。 On the goods side， I really liked Silverman’s writing。 This sounds a little weird， but her writing style felt good to read。 I would read another book by her in a heartbeat， just to have more of that good reading feel。 I wasn’t crazy about some of her story choices， but she is clearly a talented writer。 An ARC was given to me for a honest review。 。。。more
Heather Fineisen
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DNF quit reading after the teenage girl tampon insertion scene。 The whole girl fight club movie seemed exploitive and although that may be the point， I don't want to keep cringe reading。Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley DNF quit reading after the teenage girl tampon insertion scene。 The whole girl fight club movie seemed exploitive and although that may be the point， I don't want to keep cringe reading。Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley 。。。more
Cate Triola
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We Play Ourselves follows the character development of Cass， but doesn't come to a satisfying， self-aware conclusion。 Cass is a playwright in New York， who has unwittingly won an award for her small， self-produced plays。 She gets a shot at success， and when she gets a bad review， she implodes。 Cass then escapes to Los Angeles and meets Caroline， who feels like a stereotype。 She's an enigmatic Hollywood something that only cares about her art and can't even get Cass's name right。 So the newly chr We Play Ourselves follows the character development of Cass， but doesn't come to a satisfying， self-aware conclusion。 Cass is a playwright in New York， who has unwittingly won an award for her small， self-produced plays。 She gets a shot at success， and when she gets a bad review， she implodes。 Cass then escapes to Los Angeles and meets Caroline， who feels like a stereotype。 She's an enigmatic Hollywood something that only cares about her art and can't even get Cass's name right。 So the newly christened "Cath" tries shedding her Cassness and helps Caroline develop a feminist film about teenage girls in a fight club。 It's clear from the beginning that Caroline doesn't care about anything but herself and her movie， but Cass is still shocked when she finds this out。 The story peters out with Cass， now reverted to her childhood name "Cassie，" returning to her childhood home to restore "mediocrity" to her life。 The story is lacking， but the writing is well-crafted。 The author offers some great commentary on society， especially in its treatment of women。 The prose is filled with poignant anecdotes and timely ideas that don't always relate to the actual story。 The plot comes secondary to the main character's inner dialogue， which shifts back and forth between past and present。 Cass doesn't seem like an active participant in her life， as most of the story happens to her and around her。Let's not forget about the bi-erasure， which felt out of place in an otherwise progressive novel。 Apparently we can only say the word "bisexual" in media if it's treated like a foreign concept。 Also， the main character doesn't respect professional boundaries or consent， so that's not great。I received an advance copy from Random House。 。。。more
Carlene Inspired
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REVIEW TO COME
Nadia
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Review Pending。。。
Jay Gabler
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Thank you Random House for the free book。 “Fight Club，” but with girls！ If that sounds like a problematic movie that you’d probably watch anyway， you’re in the same boat as Cass， a playwright who gets drawn into an exploitative film shoot in Jen Silverman’s knowing new novel。
Page
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📆PUB DATE: February 9， 2021💬”Teenage girls， unless they’re using their bodies as currency， as commodities of desire， they’re unseen。”📚Cass flees from her life in New York when her career and personal life are decimated by scandal and gets drawn into the orbit of a charismatic LA film maker who is working on her next film: a documentary about a teenage girl fight club that attempts to turn the misinterpretation of the classic novel/film into a feminist。。。。。。。。？ something？ Honestly that whole thin 📆PUB DATE: February 9， 2021💬”Teenage girls， unless they’re using their bodies as currency， as commodities of desire， they’re unseen。”📚Cass flees from her life in New York when her career and personal life are decimated by scandal and gets drawn into the orbit of a charismatic LA film maker who is working on her next film: a documentary about a teenage girl fight club that attempts to turn the misinterpretation of the classic novel/film into a feminist。。。。。。。。？ something？ Honestly that whole thing was a little murky。👍The book presents an fun satire of both Theatre & Film cultures and the absurdity of what it means to be an artist and to peruse fame。 The parallels of Cass’s life unraveling in New York just as it’s getting started and getting pulled into Caroline’s career when it seems to be declining presents a compelling timeline of the life of a creator。 Also， it was so funny that Caroline & her girls were basing their Fight Club but Make It Feminist film off the hyper-masculine cultural misunderstanding of the point of that book。 It’s brilliantly derivative， or as Chuck would say: “a copy of a copy of a copy。"👎 I expected this to be more of a triller。 When you evoke Fight Club and missing girls in the description， I think readers go in expecting more action。 This is definitely a standard litfic character study about fame/art and I read this same book every 3 months。 I wanted more story from it and normally I would say that’s on me but the copy is misleading so that’s more on the publisher。 AND I can’t walk away from this section without mentioning that this novel does perpetuate one of my least favorite Queer Fic tropes: LGBT stands for “Lesbians， Gays， But some people don’t like labels， and Trans。” WLW authors learn the word BISEXUAL challenge。VERDICT:⭐️⭐️—If you ask me tomorrow I might say 3。 The style is compelling but the burn out on stories about ~artists~ is real。📚Companion Recs: The Girls by Emma Cline and Marlena by Julie Buntin⚠️Content Warning: violence， biphobia， rape， drugs， eating disorders， suicide （via @the。storygraph）Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for my #reviewcopy 。。。more
Dennis
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We Play Ourselves is a story about theatre， art， sexuality， and relationships。 Full review to come， but this book was a refreshingly honest portrayal of second chances and accepting who you are。 This book was funny， poignant， and brutally accurate。 I loved the social dynamics between the relationships of the main characters and I can’t wait to read more by the author。 I read this book in one sitting—very fast paced。
Lex
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How do you define success？ If there's one thing we learn quickly， it's that our personal definition of success is unique to our experiences。 The relativity of the definition of success is what Jen Silverman explores in We Play Ourselves。They say the faster you rise， the harder you fall。 Unfortunately， this appears to be true for Cass。 After her newest play is chosen as one of the recipients of an esteemed award， Cass goes from being a no-name writer to the type of person who has "people" very qu How do you define success？ If there's one thing we learn quickly， it's that our personal definition of success is unique to our experiences。 The relativity of the definition of success is what Jen Silverman explores in We Play Ourselves。They say the faster you rise， the harder you fall。 Unfortunately， this appears to be true for Cass。 After her newest play is chosen as one of the recipients of an esteemed award， Cass goes from being a no-name writer to the type of person who has "people" very quickly。 After she makes a mistake that turns her into the prime target of online shaming， Cass moves across the country to Los Angeles to lay low and start over。 Upon arriving in Los Angeles， Cass meets an enigmatic documentarian， Caroline， and quickly becomes involved in the making of Caroline's new film。 Cass can already feel it: a new life with new opportunities and this time she'll really have it all。 But when do things ever work out the way we want them to？I knew I was hooked to We Play Ourselves within the first 10 pages。 Silverman's pragmatic writing style makes it feel as if every sentence is wrapped up in ribbons of emotion， humor， and reality。 The way the writing emanated raw emotions from me was almost overwhelming， but in a good way。 I constantly found myself being moved by what the characters were feeling even if I couldn't relate to the circumstances。 If you've been through a heartbreak or made a mistake that ruined your chances at something， then it doesn't matter what the specifics of the situation are， because you remember what it's like to feel that way。 The strong emotions helped make the characters relatable as well。 Everyone in this story is going through their own thing from personal failure to a hard breakup to trying to establish their identity。 Along with their struggles， each character proved themself capable of making mistakes。 Some mistakes were small， but many were large and ugly。 This helped the characters feel real and it sometimes felt like I was right there with them。 While the story only really focuses on Cass' mistakes， the inclusion of mistakes made by others is a simple reminder that to make a mistake is to be human and that we can learn， as Cass does， from others。At the heart of this story is the exploration of success and failure。 While those two concepts are considered opposites， isn't it really just our perception of them that gives them meaning？ I believe everyone will have a moment in their life where We Play Ourselves will help them come to terms with what they're experiencing。 The lessons in this story are easily applied to the real world if you're just willing to let them in。 When that time comes for me， I know exactly where to turn。I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for the promise of an honest review。 。。。more
sarah
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review。 Wow！ This book really surprised me。 While the description is misleading （it makes it seem like it is a thriller， when it very much is not） I was more than okay with the direction this story went。 I loved the discussions of age， gender， sexuality， intimacy， and connection， and found the prose beautiful。 Seeing as this is a story about a playwright from New York and a filmmaker from LA， the wri Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review。 Wow！ This book really surprised me。 While the description is misleading （it makes it seem like it is a thriller， when it very much is not） I was more than okay with the direction this story went。 I loved the discussions of age， gender， sexuality， intimacy， and connection， and found the prose beautiful。 Seeing as this is a story about a playwright from New York and a filmmaker from LA， the writing and story itself can feel pretentious at some times， but for good reason。 I think the parallels of the filming of the girls going through their everyday and the writing of Cass going through her everyday were lovely。 All the characters are extremely flawed， and feel very real because of that。 My few complaints were with text-specific things- while Caroline talks about the tokenism of BIPOC characters， it was glaringly obvious that the story itself only had two BIPOC characters， and it felt like while the author was trying to make a comment on that， she was also guilty of that exact thing。 As well， I did not think that one character saying she "chose" to be asexual as a result of childhood trauma was handled in the best way- I understood what was being said but it felt like the character was implying that sexuality is a choice。 All in all， I enjoyed every minute I spent with Cass and her incredibly flawed and complex life。 This book won't be for everyone， but it certainly was for me。 Trigger warnings for violence， mentions of child sexual abuse， eye trauma， mentions of suicide， mentions of addiction/overdose。 。。。more
Megan
，
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman explores our relationship to ourselves - how we "play" our identities out for our family， our friends， our competitors， and so on。 While this bears out much more literally for Cass， a thirty-something woman who flees to LA from New York after an "incident，" it definitely applies to everyone in this day and age， especially on social media。 It even goes so far as to examine h Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman explores our relationship to ourselves - how we "play" our identities out for our family， our friends， our competitors， and so on。 While this bears out much more literally for Cass， a thirty-something woman who flees to LA from New York after an "incident，" it definitely applies to everyone in this day and age， especially on social media。 It even goes so far as to examine how we perform our ideals - feminism， antiracism， etc。 Caroline's "fight club" movie goes to great lengths to play out identities on screen without considering who the girls are underneath the facade。 This book is not interested in providing likable characters or an ending wrapped in a bow， which I appreciate！ This book would have felt inauthentic （ha） if it left us with a happy final ending for Cass， achieving everything she dreamed。 However， the ending we get isn't doom and gloom either。 I will say that a few plot points in this felt over the top， but none so extreme that they pulled me out entirely。 I liked the plot of the book and enjoyed the message。 And， like other reviewers have mentioned， this is not a crime novel or thriller。 A teen girl goes missing， but it is a plot point within a much larger story and is not the "mystery" of the book。 While the summary might not help the book get into the right hands， I do think a readership is out there。 And I really enjoyed this。 。。。more
Haley
，
we play ourselves follows cass， a 33-year-old emerging playwright， as she flees from a mysterious personal scandal in the new york theatre scene to the relative obscurity of her friend's home in los angeles。 there， drifting， she becomes swept up into the orbit of the charming， erratic filmmaker next door and her current project: a gritty documentary-like film following a group of teen girls who gather in secret for violent square-offs in the style of fight club。 as production wears on and cass' we play ourselves follows cass， a 33-year-old emerging playwright， as she flees from a mysterious personal scandal in the new york theatre scene to the relative obscurity of her friend's home in los angeles。 there， drifting， she becomes swept up into the orbit of the charming， erratic filmmaker next door and her current project: a gritty documentary-like film following a group of teen girls who gather in secret for violent square-offs in the style of fight club。 as production wears on and cass' life revolves increasingly around the project — for lack of any creative endeavours or inspiration of her own — the lines between the film's fiction and real life begin to blur and cass is left to question what success is truly worth to her。some things that i loved:- the writing！ there's something about silverman's prose that truly elevated this to the next level for me。 there's humour and emotion and a truly gripping style of writing that kept me engaged throughout- the characters are messy， messy， messy， and so human for all their ridiculousness。 many of them were insufferable， and yet i loved that。 though this novel serves as a very close examination of cass herself and we don't get nearly as much development from the side characters， it remained clear throughout just how multi-layered the people surrounding her all were。 we really don't get a lot of resolutions， which was refreshing - the exploration and satirization of both the theatre and film scenes， which was funny and （delightfully） grating in near equal measure - cass' story in relation to her age。 she's 33 and she's struggling。 she fumbles over and over again。 she hasn't got much at all figured out- the authentic queerness of it all and specifically the bisexual representation。 this isn't a love story or a story about cass' queerness， but it's there all throughout in the way that queerness simply is a part of queer folks' lives。 that's something i've struggled to find in other works and it stood out to me here for the sheer ease of itat its core， this book meditates on success and failure， devotion to one's craft， humanity， and ambition。 there's ample exploration of desire， art， queer existence， and the mess of life。 the third act in particular brings a marked shift in the novel's tone and really brought things home for me。 as a queer woman in the creative scene， struggling with feelings of inadequacy and what success means to me， i needed this novel， and i feel like so many others do as well。 i do want to address a few things i liked less， though， specifically in terms of representation。 it's tricky in a book like this to determine what's intended as commentary or human flaws vs intentional statements， but i want to give a heads up about some of the content all the same: （view spoiler）[- one self-identified asexual character attributes their asexuality to childhood trauma， which is an all too familiar trope and one i'd like to see less of- the film we spend much of the book following the production of features two token bipoc and one token gay character。 this is all depicted in a very self aware and intentional manner and the token gay film character is balanced against the novel's cast of several queer characters， but given the overall whiteness of the novel's cast， the bipoc tokenism is still a bit rough to read （hide spoiler）]tw: （view spoiler）[ infidelity， blood， violence， homophobic slurs， biphobia， adult-minor relationship。 mentioned: incest， rape， pedophilia， suicide， eating disorder， drug abuse （hide spoiler）]thank you to random house and netgalley for providing this e-arc 。。。more
Stella
，
Cass is a mess。 Just。。。floating through lift， escaping her own mistakes and trying to hide from the truth。 Cass arrives in LA in shame。 She's left New York in a hurry - after the 'incident' with Tara Jean Slater。 A once rising playwright， Cass has set fire to her career in a fit of jealousy。 Once in LA， she meets a filmmaker in the middle of her next film about a group of young women。 Cass finds herself immeshed in the film and in the lives of the girls。 What this book does best is explore emoti Cass is a mess。 Just。。。floating through lift， escaping her own mistakes and trying to hide from the truth。 Cass arrives in LA in shame。 She's left New York in a hurry - after the 'incident' with Tara Jean Slater。 A once rising playwright， Cass has set fire to her career in a fit of jealousy。 Once in LA， she meets a filmmaker in the middle of her next film about a group of young women。 Cass finds herself immeshed in the film and in the lives of the girls。 What this book does best is explore emotions。 Cass's fear of failure， her actual reckoning with the truth， jealousy， lust， pain and finally， acceptance。 The reader is sucked into the story - I felt like I was Cass - with a spiral of confusion， anger and fear in the pit of my stomach。 This is excellent writing and storytelling from Jen Silverman and I'm excited to see what she does next。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
First of all， the summary of We Play Ourselves is misleading。 It makes it sound like a thriller focused around the disappearance of a teenage girl。 It's not a thriller， and going into this book expecting it to be will result in disappointment。 The disappearance is a tiny part of the story。 This is a work of literary fiction centered around Cass， a playwright who flees to LA after intense failure and scandal in New York。 Most of the action happens before the start of the story and we learn about First of all， the summary of We Play Ourselves is misleading。 It makes it sound like a thriller focused around the disappearance of a teenage girl。 It's not a thriller， and going into this book expecting it to be will result in disappointment。 The disappearance is a tiny part of the story。 This is a work of literary fiction centered around Cass， a playwright who flees to LA after intense failure and scandal in New York。 Most of the action happens before the start of the story and we learn about it later。 It's a character study about Cass coming to terms with her failure and learning how to create again despite it。I did love Silverman's satire of the New York theater industry。 It's not a world I have any experience in， but based on my knowledge of "theater kids" from college， it seems fairly spot on。 I laughed and cringed my way through Cass's narration of the New York events。 Tara-Jean Slater is an absolute work of art and， ironically， my favorite part of the book。 I loved Cass's hate for her， and at some point it became the only thing really pushing me forward with the story。 The satire of the LA film industry is just as biting， though not as laugh-out-loud funny for me。There isn't a single likable character in this book。 Which is fine for me; I love a good， unlikable cast。 I know this may be a major turn off for others。 Unfortunately， I had a difficult time caring about most of the characters。 Cass frustrated me to no end; she's right up there with Samantha from Bunny in the list of self-pitying main characters I want to smack。 She doesn't even seem to have a legitimate reason for being as whiny as she is。 I started out extremely interested in the group of teenage girls who are the focus of the Fight Club-esque film described in the summary。 They have so much potential！ But they ultimately aren't developed enough; I couldn't tell them apart， and Cass really can't either。 B。B。 is the only one who stands out， and I found the plotline with her predictable。 But Tara-Jean Slater。 Oh， Tara-Jean Slater。 What a ridiculous person！ I spent a good chunk of the book relishing in hating her。 And by the end， I didn't hate her。 She is the only character I cared about。 I'd read a whole book about Tara-Jean Slater。I had a difficult time getting into this book during the first half。 It's slow， and Cass hides the most interesting aspects from us at first。 She also does very little but drink and wallow in self-pity。 I found myself putting the book down and not wanting to come back to it。 The second half switches gears a bit。 I ended up finishing it in one sitting。 Cass finally starts doing things， and I did find myself enjoying this part。 Was it worth the slow and painful buildup？ I'm not entirely sure。Overall， We Play Ourselves is a slow moving character study with some hilarious satire that may be good for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation。 If you want something fast and thrilling， this is not the book for you。 。。。more
jaycee
，
I really enjoyed the prose of this story。 The writing was undeniably gorgeous and illustrative。 I feel that most everything else fell short。The general themes and message behind the story were interesting and I think they played out well for the first half of the story。 I feel that the message kind of got lost after that in favor of incident-after-incident of characters being depressed and somehow clumsily relating it back to the struggles of women as a whole。A couple of side characters were the I really enjoyed the prose of this story。 The writing was undeniably gorgeous and illustrative。 I feel that most everything else fell short。The general themes and message behind the story were interesting and I think they played out well for the first half of the story。 I feel that the message kind of got lost after that in favor of incident-after-incident of characters being depressed and somehow clumsily relating it back to the struggles of women as a whole。A couple of side characters were the only likable people in the story。 Cass and Caroline were both terrible people and Cass constantly made mistakes I couldn't begin to understand。 I thought there would be more resolve for the original scandal that landed her in LA to begin with， but this turned out to be an underwhelming incident and didn't seem like something she should have thrown her career away over。 The ending felt disjointed from the entirely of the plot。 Hate to bash on a new release like this， but the story progressed clumsily。 。。。more
Ciara
，
Disclaimer: I received an e-proof of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This book is about Cass， a playwright in her early thirties who has previously worked under the radar。 After a brief brush with fame， Cass flees New York after a scandal involving a younger playwright， Tara-Jean Slater， which also leads to Cass’s agent cutting ties with her。 I loved Cass’s connection to plays and her description of how much she connects with them。 “And I won’t even try to guard myself， because I am Disclaimer: I received an e-proof of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This book is about Cass， a playwright in her early thirties who has previously worked under the radar。 After a brief brush with fame， Cass flees New York after a scandal involving a younger playwright， Tara-Jean Slater， which also leads to Cass’s agent cutting ties with her。 I loved Cass’s connection to plays and her description of how much she connects with them。 “And I won’t even try to guard myself， because I am being held by the architecture of the theatre， by every pair of arms in every seat， and I will sit still for a time between 75 and 120 minutes， and I will be naked， and I will be invisible， and I will be seen。” After arriving in California， Cass begins helping her neighbor Catherine shoot a movie。 I enjoyed how several of the characters’ works commented on feminism， and how Catherine’s movie gives Cass a chance to interact with young women who might see her as a role model。 Cass seems to struggle with being cast out and failing， but also struggled with her five minutes of fame when she had it， which is very relatable。 While I found some of Cass’s actions to be kind of cringey， by the end I respected and felt moved by her change in character。 。。。more
Desiree
，
After being involved in a scandal in the New York theatre scene， playwright Cass runs away to LA where she gets drawn into the movie-making process with her neighbour and 7 teen girls。 Things get out-of-hand when the truth isn't disclosed early on and Cass has to come face-to-face with some tough love。 Rating is closer to a 3。5 than a 4！I have come to describe my feelings about this book as: meh。 It isn't the worst thing I have read， but I have read better too。 My main issue with the book is act After being involved in a scandal in the New York theatre scene， playwright Cass runs away to LA where she gets drawn into the movie-making process with her neighbour and 7 teen girls。 Things get out-of-hand when the truth isn't disclosed early on and Cass has to come face-to-face with some tough love。 Rating is closer to a 3。5 than a 4！I have come to describe my feelings about this book as: meh。 It isn't the worst thing I have read， but I have read better too。 My main issue with the book is actually how it is being marketed and described。 First off， under NetGalley's shelves it is considered LGBTQIA。 So with that， I was expecting representation of varying different people in these categories and that to have a large impact on the story progression。 It does not。 It is mentioned mostly off-handed as Cass is queer and has several interactions with her sexuality。 That isn't a huge issue to me， I still love the representation of a strong， feminist woman who is fully secure in her queer identity。 The largest problem with this books marketing/description is the way they mention a disappearance of one of the girls。 They make it seem like this huge pivotal point， that the book has some thriller/mystery aspects to it。 It doesn't。 Not even close。 It does play into the story but not in the way they make it sound。 Cass as a main character is both relatable， and dislikeable。 Relatable in the fact that she feels what I would consider to be imposter syndrome， which I know a lot of people in the millennial age group relate to （even me！）。 However， instead of growing from it， trying to overcome it， while still being happy for those around her that succeed， she just gets bitter。 I found she had no redemption， which I was really hoping for。 The story does end on a very relatable note and pulls things together， its more of a journey of self discover and purpose than her redeeming herself after her involvement in a 'scandal'。 I found myself wanting more from secondary characters than I did from Cass。 One of my favourite things from the book was an interaction between Cass and her play director， Helene。 She mentioned that no one is going to be as happy as you are for yourself when things are going well; but when shit hits the fan you better believe people want to be there to watch it all fall out。 This to me is a perfect description of a lot of our downfalls as humans and it hit me close to home。 This book was a nice easy read， I did enjoy it at points， but there is always room for some tweaks and improvements that could make it just a tiny bit better。 Thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own！ 。。。more
Molly Weisgrau
，
*I was sent a free ARC of this book by Random House in exchange for an honest review*Author Jen Silverman’s first novel “We Play Ourselves” follows Cass， a playwright moving to Los Angeles to escape the scandal she found herself in in the New York theatre scene。 Cass soon meets enigmatic neighbor Caroline， a filmmaker working on a project that immediately grabs Cass’s attention。 As Cass devotes herself to the film project and attempts to pick up the pieces of her life， she discovers that theatre *I was sent a free ARC of this book by Random House in exchange for an honest review*Author Jen Silverman’s first novel “We Play Ourselves” follows Cass， a playwright moving to Los Angeles to escape the scandal she found herself in in the New York theatre scene。 Cass soon meets enigmatic neighbor Caroline， a filmmaker working on a project that immediately grabs Cass’s attention。 As Cass devotes herself to the film project and attempts to pick up the pieces of her life， she discovers that theatre， art， and people are often not as they seem。At its strongest， “We Play Ourselves” is a poignant and witty satirization of the absurd politics of the professional theatre scene。 The way that Cass’s path entangles with that of other emerging playwrights was virtually the only part of the story that seemed believable and resonant。 I had trouble suspending my disbelief on much of the other story elements， though。 The reveal that should have been gut-wrenching and intense was shallow and anticlimactic。 The dialogue was far too clear and intentional to feel realistic。 The narration was often heavy-handed and over-explained the rather basic concepts being illustrated in the scenes。Even more than the odd and out-of-character movements perpetrated by Cass， rival Tara-Jean， and even more tertiary characters like a friend’s boyfriend， the weakest point of the novel is undoubtedly its unsympathetic and immature hero - Cass herself。 I was most taken back by her immense immaturity that she never seems to acknowledge or grow out of。 She is supposedly in her thirties but acts like an irresponsible teenager。 Her positioning in the narrative is virtually indistinguishable from the actual teenagers and she often acts inappropriately with them。 By the end of the story I had no sympathy for Cass left， simply didn’t care if she succeeded or failed， I just wanted to be done with this entirely too long novel。Maybe it’s just that common failing of debuts to try and Do Too Much， maybe it’s Silverman still finding her voice in the literary scene， as I understand her primary experience is in theatre， but “We Play Ourselves” was ultimately a disappointing attempt at navigating success and failure in the modern art world。 。。。more
Blair
，
（4。5） There is so much in this book that I'm not sure how to begin talking about it， and what exactly it was that I loved about it。 I'm worried that merely describing the plot won't make it sound as good as it actually is， because the language really makes it sizzle， and Silverman writes about complicated emotions in a style I found thrilling， and those things are difficult to communicate in a review。Cass is a 33-year-old playwright who's had a tumultuous few months: after years of work， she's f （4。5） There is so much in this book that I'm not sure how to begin talking about it， and what exactly it was that I loved about it。 I'm worried that merely describing the plot won't make it sound as good as it actually is， because the language really makes it sizzle， and Silverman writes about complicated emotions in a style I found thrilling， and those things are difficult to communicate in a review。Cass is a 33-year-old playwright who's had a tumultuous few months: after years of work， she's finally attained success， winning a coveted award – but this is swiftly followed by a spectacular downfall。 Fleeing the fallout of a scandal in New York， she hides out at her friend’s house in Silver Lake， LA。 While she tries to keep a low profile， she can't help being intrigued by her new next-door neighbour Caroline， a flighty， charismatic filmmaker。 It isn't long before she gets caught up in Caroline's latest project， a documentary about a group of teen girls who organise violent gatherings inspired by Fight Club。Here are three particular things about We Play Ourselves that I can't stop thinking about:1。 Cass's unrequited love for Hélène， the director of her play。 It's just such a great portrayal of what it means， what it is， to feel like this about someone – painfully dead-on and， if you've experienced it yourself， exceptionally validating。2。 The scene wherein Cass is finally reunited with her nemesis， wunderkind Tara-Jean Slater。 Odd and sparse and dreamy and lonely; a Hollywood hallucination。3。 The penultimate chapter！！ I don't want to describe it because that would spoil the experience of reading it， but I will say this: if， after reading the first chapter， I had flipped forward and read the penultimate one， I would never have believed that both could have come from the same book。 It's a tour de force in itself， and has to be read to be believed。 At first， I much preferred the New York flashbacks， which reminded me strongly – in language and in spirit – of Sweetbitter， one of my favourite books。 I'll admit I found the LA plot less compelling， and Caroline and the teens less interesting characters than Cass， Hélène and Tara-Jean。 But when the narratives eventually converge， everything slots together marvellously。 I think Cass's realisations about what's important in her life – what 'success' actually means， and whether it matters at all – are exactly what many of us need to read in this era of uncertainty， when so many people have seen their professional and personal lives stymied by the effects of the pandemic。 They certainly helped me。This novel is a fizzing ball of ideas， a delightfully messy multilayered exploration of queerness and desire， art and ambition， and what it means to fail （or not）。 'A strange miracle'， as someone tells Cass。 I adored Cass's voice and found a great deal to love about the story。I received an advance review copy of We Play Ourselves from the publisher through Edelweiss。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
Joy
，
*special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review！3。5 stars I thought this story would be about a comeback。 It’s not。 Don’t be fooled; this story is not a redemption arc， but it is about finding yourself and your own voice。 It is not however， an easy journey。 The main character Cass is self sabotaging， she runs away， she’s unable。 She is， in short， a mess。 She’s an unlikeable main character。 It can be a frustrating read if you are wanting her to do t *special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review！3。5 stars I thought this story would be about a comeback。 It’s not。 Don’t be fooled; this story is not a redemption arc， but it is about finding yourself and your own voice。 It is not however， an easy journey。 The main character Cass is self sabotaging， she runs away， she’s unable。 She is， in short， a mess。 She’s an unlikeable main character。 It can be a frustrating read if you are wanting her to do the right thing， cause chances are， she won’t。 Worse than Cass/ Cath is Caroline。。。 she only cares about herself and has a huge agenda。 Jocelyn， however， was a welcome reprieve and I found her hilarious。 Overall， I found this to be good， but I do wish we saw Cass pick herself up a bit more。 。。。more
Anne
，
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was disappointed by this book。 First of all， the summary blurb was misleading。 I believed that this book would be more about finding a missing girl， but that ended up only being a small part of the story。 So I believe that this book was not really advertised accurately。 For people looking for a contemporary crime novel， this not NOT it。 I also felt like the “fight club” girls were advertised as being a bigger part of the book， I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was disappointed by this book。 First of all， the summary blurb was misleading。 I believed that this book would be more about finding a missing girl， but that ended up only being a small part of the story。 So I believe that this book was not really advertised accurately。 For people looking for a contemporary crime novel， this not NOT it。 I also felt like the “fight club” girls were advertised as being a bigger part of the book， but again， they were not that important in the grand scheme of things。 I actually would really like to read a book just about a group of teenage girls starting a fight club， without all the failing playwright stuff。I did not like the main character at all。 I think that I was the wrong audience for this book。 I am not a fan of plays （musicals， yes - high brow plays that everyone pretends to understand but they really don’t， no。） I liked and appreciated the overall message of the book， that everyone has many lives and paths within them and any failure is not too big to bounce back from and make something new （and maybe unexpected） out of your life。 I think it’s an important and timeless message， one that I and definitely other people can definitely relate to。 But I couldn’t get over how unlikable Cass was。 。。。more
Andee
，
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|TWITTER|YOUTUBE Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I am not the biggest fan of contemporary books。 This is usually something I can get past for a book marketed as a queer book， but this particular story made it difficult。 It felt as though we were not moving towards anything throughout the entire book。 Cass continually runs away from her problems while creating more for herself。 This story felt as though it w BLOG|INSTAGRAM|TWITTER|YOUTUBE Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I am not the biggest fan of contemporary books。 This is usually something I can get past for a book marketed as a queer book， but this particular story made it difficult。 It felt as though we were not moving towards anything throughout the entire book。 Cass continually runs away from her problems while creating more for herself。 This story felt as though it was marketed to be more of a contemporary-thriller based on the given summary。 This is not at all what the book is。 Cass is given opportunity after opportunity， with privilege literally handed to her， and she continues to sabotage herself。 She blamed success itself for turning herself into a bad person when， in reality， she was already that person。The writing of this book was solid。 The intrigue of wanting to know what happened to BB and why Cass was running from NYC were the only things the kept me reading。 。。。more
Becki
，
Absolutely loved how this book began - it promised to be funny and dark and strange and unpredictable。 The lead character is a wonderful antihero whose side you're on even through acts of sheer crazy。 But about halfway through， I got the feeling the writer talked herself off the ledge she'd started out on， and decided mainstream was the way to go。 Still a good read， but one you just know was on the cusp of being great。 Absolutely loved how this book began - it promised to be funny and dark and strange and unpredictable。 The lead character is a wonderful antihero whose side you're on even through acts of sheer crazy。 But about halfway through， I got the feeling the writer talked herself off the ledge she'd started out on， and decided mainstream was the way to go。 Still a good read， but one you just know was on the cusp of being great。 。。。more
Caroline Brooks
，
I absolutely loved this book！ Every character is both absolutely infuriating and unlikeable， but I also found myself rooting for all of them at different times。 Silverman's character development， the way she has the reader constantly questioning who's good and who's bad， who deserves our sympathy and who just needs to get it together， is masterful。 I loved the incorporation of theatre and film into the plot。 Also， the "big moment" plot twists were genuinely completely unexpected and absolutely n I absolutely loved this book！ Every character is both absolutely infuriating and unlikeable， but I also found myself rooting for all of them at different times。 Silverman's character development， the way she has the reader constantly questioning who's good and who's bad， who deserves our sympathy and who just needs to get it together， is masterful。 I loved the incorporation of theatre and film into the plot。 Also， the "big moment" plot twists were genuinely completely unexpected and absolutely nuts， but somehow worked perfectly for the story。 The ending was not at all what I expected， but realistic and perfect。 This was an extremely frustrating book at times， but also a book that I enjoyed more than many others I've read recently。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance reader's copy。 。。。more
Courtni K
，
Cass is a young NYC playwright who flees to LA after an embarrassing and potentially reputation-ruining event， as well as a little heartbreak。 She stumbles on the next door neighbor Caroline and learns more about a documentary/film project she's undertaking: a teen female fight club with underlying themes of female empowerment versus a culture of toxic masculinity。 Cass thinks this project might be a way to escape her imagined faults and failures and embark on a new creative endeavor。 This is a Cass is a young NYC playwright who flees to LA after an embarrassing and potentially reputation-ruining event， as well as a little heartbreak。 She stumbles on the next door neighbor Caroline and learns more about a documentary/film project she's undertaking: a teen female fight club with underlying themes of female empowerment versus a culture of toxic masculinity。 Cass thinks this project might be a way to escape her imagined faults and failures and embark on a new creative endeavor。 This is a fascinating story about ambition and the constant need to record and perform for others online or in person。 What is authenticity in this day and age， who cares and whose opinions matter？ 。。。more
Becca
，
I'm a fan of Silverman's plays， so this was a particularly fun and insider-y read。 Most notably， I found Silverman's descriptions of what it feels like to make theatre absolutely stunning and accurate （I highlighted a LOT of it）。 The plot of the novel seemed a bit surface-y to me， all things considered， but Silverman knows her prose and her characters definitely come to life。 I liked it a lot。 I'm a fan of Silverman's plays， so this was a particularly fun and insider-y read。 Most notably， I found Silverman's descriptions of what it feels like to make theatre absolutely stunning and accurate （I highlighted a LOT of it）。 The plot of the novel seemed a bit surface-y to me， all things considered， but Silverman knows her prose and her characters definitely come to life。 I liked it a lot。 。。。more
Wendy
，
I was immediatly drawn to this book with its absolutely gorgeous cover and an intriguing summary - and the novel is every bit as good as the cover。The main character of this novel， Cass， is a fresh arrival in LA。 She was a playwright on the rise about to make it big in New York。 But due to a certain scandal which I definitely want to leave to the reader to find out about， she moves to Los Angeles to reinvent herself as a person and as an artist。 Her neighbor Caroline also turns out to be an arti I was immediatly drawn to this book with its absolutely gorgeous cover and an intriguing summary - and the novel is every bit as good as the cover。The main character of this novel， Cass， is a fresh arrival in LA。 She was a playwright on the rise about to make it big in New York。 But due to a certain scandal which I definitely want to leave to the reader to find out about， she moves to Los Angeles to reinvent herself as a person and as an artist。 Her neighbor Caroline also turns out to be an artist - an aspiring movie director currently in the process of filming a documentary about a violent fight club of teenage girls。 While the initiative seems impressive and capivating to Cass， who looks up to Caroline's focus and determination， soon she realizes that the filmmaker's relationship with the girls is shady and manipulative。 And then， one of these girls goes missing。。。I really liked the journey of self-discovery Cass is undergoing。 The coming-of-age element is particularly well done， given that Cass doesn't only change as a result of her move and change of circumstances， but also due to the influence of other people。 Caroline is such a different character as well， and with the shady things she would do for her art， I wanted to learn a lot more about her。The novel poses this ultimate question: how far can you go to become famous and successful？ Jen Silverman mastefully explores this topic with Cass's well-developed character。 I think the title "We Play Ourselves" is a wonderful summary of the reality that we play ourselves in life - differently depending on circumstances， stages or the audience。 It is such a memorable， unique novel which I highly recommend。*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review， 。。。more
arshia
，
I love the dark feel that comes with this book and how the main character’s aspiration for success also related to the obsessed artist theme that is seen in films such as Black Swan and Whiplash。 The book honestly keept me on the edge of my seat and I like how the story was unfolded in flashbacks up until a certain point where the new plot began to take place
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Play Ourselves
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Play Ourselves&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Play Ourselves&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0