Before Love became a household name, she was Lacey Dove Bart, a determined teen with dreams of stardom. Desperate to escape her bleak small-town life, Lacey dazzles at an audition for the prestigious Newland Academy, catching the eye of mega producer Jimmy Coins. Lacey鈥檚 friend and coperformer, Carrie-Anne, believes they鈥檙e on the brink of achieving their shared dream of escaping Appalachia. But a betrayal by Lacey leaves them both reeling.
As Lacey is transformed into 鈥淟ove,鈥 the carefully controlled idol of a generation, she loses piece after piece of herself. She鈥檚 contracted for stints on Christian variety shows, toured through malls and state fairs, and even locked in a fortress-like mansion between recording sessions. With her life spiraling out of control and younger, hungrier replacements waiting in the wings, Love鈥檚 only chance at freedom is to reconnect with Carrie-Anne and seek redemption in the one authentic bond she has left. Part pop elegy, part horror story, part radical reimagining of female celebrity, Ultranatural autotunes the static of fame until it sounds like prophecy.
鈥淚n a ramped-up retelling of the pop starlet mythos, Ultranatural charts the converse curves of fame-seeking and holy bestiedom through the literary tradition of posting like your life depends on it. Wuehle鈥檚 shades鈥dark humor and astute weirdness are pitch-perfect, autotuned to ring out an alien gloss of mystic uncanny.鈥濃擲adie Dupuis, songwriter and guitarist, Speedy Ortiz
鈥淟acey Dove Bart鈥檚 rise from small-town obscurity to pop superstardom echoes tabloid-era Britney in all its glittering dread. Ultranatural is Candice Wuehle鈥檚 sharp, surreal telling of a body turned brand, and the girl trapped beneath it. I adore this novel.鈥濃擜nna Dorn, author, Perfume and Pain
鈥Ultranatural skewers fame, girlhood, and celebrity culture with a deft hand, seamlessly blending philosophy, satire, and musings on the metaphysical while chronicling the rise and fall of a pop icon. Lacey Dove Bart is at once a recognizable cultural figure and a wholly original character that you won鈥檛 soon forget.鈥濃擡. K. Sathue, author, Youthjuice
