Chloe Elisabeth Wilson’s debut novel, Rytuał, is an electric and dark satire of the beauty industry and ‘girlboss’ culture. It follows Marnie Sellick, who works at the boring spin cycle studio Ride On!. Once an up-and-coming screenwriter, she’s become stagnan, and needs a change. This comes in the form of Rose Lui, a gorgeous client at the studio and also an employee of rytuał cosmetica. Rose quickly introduces Marnie to the founder, Luna Peters, and she begins her rapid descent into the cult-like culture of rytuał.
As a book, Rytuał is intoxicating; you can see Wilson’s history in screenwriting on every page – you can’t help but vividly imagine how it would translate to the screen. Indeed, it’s so clearly destined for a film adaptation that you almost don’t want it to happen. This has nothing to do with exclusivity – Rytuał is a gossip piece you just have to share – but rather because US producers would be leaping to set it in LA or New York. These are cities nowhere near as interconnected as Melbourne, so it just wouldn’t work the same. Much like how New York is central to The Devil Wears Prada, Melbourne is so essential to Rytuał, in that you can’t go somewhere in Melbourne (especially around Collingwood, where much of it takes place) without finding people who know someone you know. These connections are where tensions first arise in Rytuał; it almost feels too connected.
At times, it seems as if the progression into the Fight Club-type plot is drawn out. Like Marnie, we are drawn into the specifics of rytuał cosmetica all the way to the ingredients included in the products. In its structure, like a thriller, the book doesn’t pick up speed until the last third, but all through there’s a sense of unease, of waiting for something bad to happen. Additionally, the living arrangements towards the end are almost unbelievable. While it is a satire, it is almost too comical.
Rytuał is full of social commentary – the brand logo of two lips interconnected resembles that of an eye – and shows how overbearingly these beauty brands are when seeking out your contact information and of the need to perform femininity, even when under the guise of ‘self-care’. Much like other texts discussing feminine obsession, the novel delves into themes of lesbianism as a means of total devotion. At times, you itch to put the book down, only because the cringe – the second-hand embarrassment – is so intense, you can feel it all the way through the page, but the desire for more beats it every time.
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Rytuał is a tribute to modern Melbourne, but the description of its setting doesn’t feel too hyper specific that it would alienate readers from different cities. Only one who really loves a city can accurately place its faults: of the tedious tram lines and expensive housing. All this is barely disguised under the larger themes of cult-like fanbases and identity. Its captivating signature pink book cover forces your gaze on the bookshelf, and if you happen to come across Rytuał, be careful to not be as fully engrossed in it as Marnie.
Rytuał, Chloe Elisabeth Wilson
Publisher: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9781761346699
Pages:336 pp
Format: Paperback
RRP: $34.99
Publication date: 6 May 2025
