“It’s SMASH, but with teeth,” is how I wanted to logline Layne Fargo’s debut psychological thriller, TEMPER. Set in the Chicago theater scene, it features Malcolm, a controlling and charismatic theater director; Joanna, his professional partner and enabler; and Kira, an ambitious young actress.
With those three players in place, you can see what we’re building toward early on. It’s femme fatale vs. the thwarted enabler. Joanna has seen it a hundred times, yet she doesn’t hide her animosity and jealousy. Kira is no wide-eyed ingenue and she’s aware of how men view her. I should have hated how these women are put in opposition to each other, vying for Malcolm’s approval and affections, but I didn’t.
I should have hated Malcolm for mindf-cking everyone around him in the name of art. But I didn’t. He is as fascinating and curious to the reader as he is to other characters. That said, while he may be the center of Joanna and Kira’s universes, the story is singularly theirs.
TEMPER is a darkly gleeful exploration of power, manipulation, sex, and art. Theater nerds will love the behind-the-scenes detail and drama. I have just one word for it: delicious.
4 stars
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