Everyone loves a podcast, and with the right hosts, production and deal, the field can be quite lucrative—and sometimes, very dangerous, to boot. What starts as a lark between two best friends quickly descends into a warped whodunit involving broken glass, torched luxury vehicles and . . . Henry Winkler’s iconic character from Happy Days. Tiffany Crum’s This Story Might Save Your Life unravels a compelling podcast-related mystery alongside a friendship perpetually on the verge of evolving into something more.
With a narcolepsy diagnosis that affects every aspect of her existence, Joy Moore has a hard time connecting with others—until a fateful night in Los Angeles when Benny Abbott steps over her sleeping body at a rock show. Their instantaneous connection goes on to survive two marriages to other people (and one divorce), only to intensify when Benny and Joy’s comedy survival podcast “This Story Might Save Your Life” becomes a massive hit on the verge of an eight-figure deal. But one morning, Benny finds that Joy and her husband/producer Xander are missing, with only broken glass, blood and Joy’s beloved dog left behind. What happened to Joy and Xander, and what secrets lie behind their supposedly perfect marriage—and Benny and Joy’s tight friendship?
Debut author Crum sensitively tackles heavy topics like domestic violence, factitious disorder and chronic illness, while exploring themes of misplaced loyalty, unrequited love and the price of success. Fun pop culture and podcast references abound (Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and “Swindled” among them), and LA is depicted with both expertise and love, transcending tired stereotypes of the City of Angels. The nonlinear narrative, composed of Benny and Joy’s perspectives and snippets from their unpublished dual memoir, works well as clues to Joy’s fate are gradually revealed and the reader becomes invested in a friendship that’s been through more than its share of ups and downs. Crum’s writing is equal parts suspenseful and witty, never shying away from the complex emotions that can lead us to unspeakable places.