Lior Torenberg’s debut novel, Just Watch Me, follows a 20-something woman who starts a livestream marathon to raise money for her little sister, who is in a coma.
Our main character, Dell Danvers, is a mess, having dropped out of school at NYU and been fired from her job at a juice bar. She can’t pay for her tiny New York apartment, which is a converted closet and doesn’t even have a bathroom. She can’t pay for her burgeoning student loans. She can’t afford a doctor visit to see about her perpetual stomach pain. She tries to make money selling plant propagations to trust-fund kids, but even that venture doesn’t pan out the way she wants it to.
So she impulsively launches a 24-hour livestream under the username “mademoiselle_dell,” and we are soon dropped into the fascinating subculture of online streamers and their loyal audiences. When Dell realizes that provocative content translates to more money, she starts proposing crazier and crazier schemes to keep people watching and clicking the donate button. When she eats several habanero peppers on camera, she sees the donations come pouring in, and she also catches the attention of a well-known streamer known for his spicy food escapades.
And that’s where the novel takes a heated and propulsive turn. Torenberg’s publisher pitches it as “Fleabag meets Big Swiss,” but I think a better comp might be Margo’s Got Money Troubles meets Hot Ones. The scenes involving spicier and spicier pepper eating are scary, grueling, stressful, and perfectly paced. Dell is a flawed and inherently believable character, a struggling young woman who can be both selfish and selfless. She makes poor decisions. She treats her online audience with rude snarkiness. And despite it all, you can’t help rooting for her.
When one of her online viewers crosses the line from fan to troll, Dell has to navigate his threats while trying to maintain her growing audience and lucrative business. With taut writing and vivid dialogue, Torenberg explores parasocial relationships, sibling guilt, and the fine line between fame and loneliness.
Torenberg divides her book into seven chapters — one for each day of Dell’s livestream. The author says she conceived the novel during the pandemic lockdown, when so many people turned to online relationships to find solace and company. And that research is evident here, with characters that tug at your heart as they struggle to feel cared for and loved.
Throughout the novel, we’re not quite sure how Dell’s sister ended up in a coma. Torenberg manages to unpack that at just the right pace, offering details through flashbacks and other literary devices until a conclusion that’s both surprising and satisfying.
Don’t let the bizarre premise fool you: Just Watch Me is an intense, quirky novel that delivers in a big way. A bold and spicy debut.
