For Julia Argy, Reality TV Is the Ultimate Fiction
Julia Argy’s debut novel, The One, skewers popular culture’s twin obsessions with reality television and romantic love. Recently fired from her corporate job and without anything better to do, our protagonist Emily auditions for the novel’s eponymous reality dating show. Over the next 10 weeks, she competes among 30 women for the affections of the “blandly hot” lead. Meanwhile, the show’s producer Miranda has decided that Emily has the best shot to win and, in the hopes of getting ahead of her fellow producers, coaches Emily on how to perform for the camera. As Emily’s relationship with another contestant evolves and Miranda’s on-screen narrative comes to fruition, Emily is forced to untangle who she really is from the show’s perception of her.
I spoke with Argy about the allure of reality dating shows, the complexities of desire, and our culture of surveillance.
Jeanette Lestina: You were inspired to write after bingeing reality dating shows during the start of the pandemic. What is it about these shows that intrigues you so much, and what has your relationship with them been since writing this novel?
