Rytual

Chloe Elisabeth Wilson’s debut novel, Rytual, is a darkly comic look at the cosmetic industry and the cult-like status of some beauty brands (that shall remain unnamed). Marnie Sellick, a once-promising screenwriter, works a soulless job at Ride On!, a cycle studio that caters to the affluent women of inner-city Melbourne. Her commute from her Thornbury-adjacent flat (Preston) to Richmond is less than ideal, as is her split shift each day. However, it is at Ride On! that she meets the alluring and insta-perfect Rose Lui, who recruits her to join Rytual Cosmetica, a wildly successful beauty brand founded by Luna Peter, a charismatic young Melbourne woman.

Marnie can’t believe her luck, and while neither the role nor the pay is exactly what she was hoping for, Luna takes a shine to her, and Marnie is quickly brought into the inner sanctum. From the outside, the company has a lip-glossed, girl-boss vibe of picture-perfect lives, meticulously balanced catered lunches and endless bowls of smoked almonds. However, as Marnie slowly retreats from her outside life and goes deeper into the fold, she learns that what binds the team at Rytual isn’t their shared love of skincare and cheek tint, but something much darker.

Luna is smart, wicked and manipulative – she knows what she is doing, as does Wilson, whose screenwriting chops really come to the fore. Each scene, person and interaction is so well crafted that even as you cringe you can picture it down to the smallest of details. Wilson takes us on a wildly fun and unnerving ride into a world of unchecked self-righteous anger, ambition and the desire to be seen as more. When the conversation has moved on from The White Lotus, Rytual is the book that is going to be discussed in group chats, on tram rides, at dinner parties and around the office.