Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aesthetica | 2022 | Allie Rowbottom | Buy |
Aesthetica (2022) is Allie Rowbottom’s debut novel, following her non-fiction book Jell-O Girls. The story centers on a woman in her mid-thirties who is about to undergo a procedure to reverse years of cosmetic surgery. As she sits in the doctor’s waiting room, the narrative moves back and forth between her present and her past as a young Instagram influencer in Los Angeles.
The novel examines how social media and beauty standards interact, and what happens when someone decides to undo the changes they made to fit in. Rowbottom draws on her academic background in cultural criticism to explore these questions through fiction rather than essay, letting the character’s experience carry the argument.
Aesthetica received attention from literary critics for its unflinching look at influencer culture and the cosmetic surgery industry, and it was a finalist for several book prizes.