Idol is a 2022 novel by Louise McNeill about a hugely successful author and wellness influencer, Samantha. Sam writes a book in which she describes sexually experimenting with her best friend, Lisa, in high school. However, when Lisa contacts her and tells her that she remembers the events very differently, Sam's empire and life collapse.
Tropes
- The '90s: The flashbacks to Sam and Lisa's youth take place in the last months of 1999.
- Always Identical Twins: Lisa and Josh have identical twin daughters.
- Bad Influencer: Sam is a very manipulative wellness influencer who may have sexually assaulted her best friend as a teenager, and has at the very least exaggerated her own life story (though she often seems to be unaware or in denial about how much).
- Girlboss Feminist: Sam is described as a white blonde woman, whose wellness empire (worth millions) and literary career is described as a mix of Eastern religions, Buddhism, and Hinduism, with a white face on it. She is also a champion of women's rights and abortion rights, but threatens to blackmail Lisa over having had an abortion in the past, and may have sexually assaulted her.
- Hapless Self-Help: Sam is a "feminist" influencer who preaches healthy living and self-esteem while being a narcissist with a severe eating disorder who sexually assaulted her best friend, which threatens to bring down her empire.
- No Bisexuals: Played with. Sam has only ever slept with guys both before and since Lisa and thinks of herself as straight, but also considers what happened with Lisa to be one of the most romantic incidents of her life. Lisa also says that she's not bisexual as a reason for why she wouldn't have consensually slept with Sam.
- Twin Theme Naming: Lisa and Josh's twins are called Maya and Martha.
- Two-Timing with the Bestie: Sam admits that she still feels like this is what happened between her, Lisa, and Josh. Despite the fact that Lisa asked her before dating Josh, she never expected them to get married, and is secretly extremely hurt that they did.
- Turn of the Millennium: The flashbacks lead up to 2000.
- Unreliable Narrator: It's clear that Sam is one. For example, she sees herself as Lisa's closest friend, while Becky (and others) view her as a Toxic Friend Influence and Control Freak who stops Lisa from being friends with other people. The biggest question is whether she is also being one about her apparent "hookup" with Lisa as a teenager.
- Villain Protagonist: Sam is revealed to be a liar, a manipulator, and a rapist.
- We Used to Be Friends: Sam and Lisa did. The question is: was it ever an equal or comfortable friendship?
