Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performancethe show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesnt deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclairs show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.

Unaware that shes gone home with the theater critic whos just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and shes not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himselfentitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.

A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage,Bring the House Downis a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.