Mystery Novel Eschews Homicide, According to Author Leigh Stein

In the realm of contemporary literature, Leigh Stein's latest work, "If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You", stands out as a captivating exploration of our digital age and the role of content creators. The novel delves into the topic of fans today being more than just observers; they are creators and active participants.

The story unfolds in a crumbling Hollywood mansion, home to a hype house of Gen Z content creators. Among them is a young woman who has gained a cultish following for her eerily accurate tarot card readings. However, her life takes a mysterious turn when she mysteriously disappears from the house.

The protagonist, a childless thirty-nine-year-old woman aging out of the media industry, finds herself leveraging the tarot card reader's fans to search for the missing influencer. Her life may depend on uncovering the secret that the house, named and with a dark past, holds.

"If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You" is a contemporary gothic novel in the lineage of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. The author had to murder someone in her imagination for the novel, but the editor who acquired the book did not require her to murder the tarot card reader. Instead, Stein chose to implicate the reader in their appetite for stories of women who become more interesting once they're no longer present, and to explore the fear of aging and irrelevance for women.

Interestingly, women are the largest consumers of true crime books and podcasts, a fact that may be reflected in the novel's dark and intriguing narrative. Alice Bolin argues that TV shows with dead white female victims help work out complicated feelings about the privileged status of white women in culture. However, Stein decided not to add to the dead girl canon and instead crafted a gothic novel that delves deeper into the complexities of womanhood in the digital age.

In conclusion, "If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You" is a thought-provoking and engaging read that challenges the reader to question their own role in the consumption of stories about women in the media. The novel serves as a timely exploration of the intersection of technology, celebrity, and the fear of aging and irrelevance for women in today's society.