The Simp

A razor-sharp novel about the rise and fall of an unemployed actor who lands the greatest role of his life when he’s hired as a personal assistant to a demanding, highly absurd Hollywood family. Raj Ladlani is a morose and unemployable actor. He has reasons to believe he is spectacularly talented, a legend in every way but for the success. But he leads an anonymous life in LA, working part time at a frozen yogurt store, fantasizing about stardom, and clinging to the encouragement of his aging and kindly acting coach. At his life nadir, Raj reads a job posting detailing a relentless, laughable parade of menial responsibilities for an organization blandly described as a “Hollywood Family.” The Simp tells the story of Raj’s momentous employment with the H Family and the destruction that follows. Jim H is a massive and macho director in a creative rut. Anna H might uncharitably be described as his much younger trophy wife, quietly and neurotically seeking out her own independent sense of purpose as a screenwriter. Raj’s work as their executive assistant becomes his new sense of soaring purpose. But he procured the job through a sea of lies. The job itself is an absurdist walk through a landmine of affluent domestic chaos, identity politics, and petty Angeleno grievances. And things only get weirder when it turns out Anna H has been working on a secret project of her own—one that will change everything for Raj.