Immediately engrossing, Ultranatural by Candice Wuehle (University of Iowa Press) is narrated by Lacey (or Love), whose voice is youthful and vulnerable as we follow her from tween years into young adulthood as she ascends to become the world’s biggest popstar — “like transforming from human to pure media: to a screen, or art.”
That’s the plot, more or less, but living inside Love’s mind as she recalls how she moved from living in fear and poverty into the world of riches and stardom is an almost luxurious experience. Wuehle’s language is gorgeous without being pretentious, and following Love through each hurdle, misstep and accomplishment feels like holding a close friend’s hand.
Love’s relationship with her best friend, Carrie-Anne, acts as a tether as she grows increasingly isolated from both reality and herself. Much of the book centers around Love’s efforts to hold onto a sense of herself through her relationship with Carrie-Anne, but the more famous she becomes, the less agency she has. Carrie-Anne, meanwhile, has connections to the divine, and Love looks toward the occult in pursuit of a healthier relationship with the world. Her connection with Carrie-Anne, and magic, wanes as she follows the path laid out before her by her various captors.
While not inspired by any specific starlet, the story parallels most any child star’s story. There are obvious references to Britney Spears; some of Love’s lyrics are interpolations of Britney songs, and the album title I Got It (U Take It) would slot right into Spears’ discography. But there are so many other celebrities who are trapped in ivory towers and whose lives we exploit for entertainment. That’s part of what is so compelling about Ultranatural, There’s a sick thrill to being so close to Love as she struggles, because (if I were able to put the book down) I can return to my own life.
Love’s assertion early on “that all it took to be somebody was a sort of insanity, a total faith in your own importance” echoes eerily throughout her story, which left me in want of updates, as if I follow Love on socials and the feeds have gone quiet. I imagine (or hope that) Love has found herself in a garden far from the spotlight.
It’s not common for me to be so consumed by a text, but Ultranatural is an inviting, compassionate exploration of how we, both the royal and singular, are shaped by celebrity and child stardom. Wuehle lets us into the skin of the star without feeling voyeuristic. She captures the blur of time from overwhelming scheduling and drug use and also puts sharp focus on novel moments in which Love reaches for connection and humanity: “approval could always be anywhere.”
Almost a fictional memoir, possibly epistolary, this novel is ambitious and heartbreaking. Since finishing the book, I keep finding myself trying to check in on Love, her story already stuck to me.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s April 2026 issue.
