REVIEW: The Seventh Veil of Salome (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Book: The Seventh Veil of Salome

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Premise: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie. So when Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, is cast, she quickly becomes the talk of the town...and an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.

This book reminded me of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It's set in 1950s Hollywood, with new girl Vera brushing shoulders with the stars while filming a new biblical epic. There's also Nancy, obsessive with this notion of what she's due and convinced Vera has stolen it all from her. The story is full of glitz, glam, young dreamers and ambition. But there's also the shady characters, as well as the sexism and the racism of that time.

The other perspective is from the character of Salome and we follow her story culminating in the Dance of the Seven Veils. Initially I wasn't sure how well her narrative fit in, but afterwards I could see the parallels between her and each of Vera and Nancy: feeling stifled with an overbearing mother, being denied what she desires, being treated as a sexual object, taking revenge. Some interesting links which did tie the story together.