Iranian-American author Iman Hariri-Kia was at dinner with friends when she learned that Tiger King reality star Joe Exotic, who’s currently in prison for his part in a murder-for-hire scheme, was rumoured to be getting pardoned by the President of the United States. Her fiancé remarked, “Can you imagine if the most famous person in the world was an actual murderer, and people just didn’t care?” Later that night, Iman came up with the concept for her novel The Most Famous Girl in the World, which follows a fictional Middle Eastern-American journalist’s quest to take down a celebrity influencer-cum-criminal. Released on 17 September, this is Iman’s second novel, following A Hundred Other Girls — which also seamlessly weaves pop culture references into a narrative centring the contemporary city life of an ambitious Middle Eastern-American journalist.
“So often, female main characters of colour aren’t given the space to be complex and imperfect, as opposed to their white counterparts,” Iman tells MOJEH. “Most Middle Eastern-American women I know are just trying their best and taking it day by day, and I feel grateful that my latest protagonist, Rose, is given the grace to make many, many mistakes, but also to learn from them. I wish I’d had more of this kind of representation when I was coming of age.”
Iman says that throughout her time spent working on the novel, the question that inspired the story has only grown more relevant, with events such as Anna Delvey’s Netflix adaptation romanticising the story of the notorious con artist and fraudster. “More than ever, America seems fascinated by anti-heroes, authenticity and the lore behind people's ill-fated decisions,” says Iman. “So, how far would a charming celebrity have to go to permanently turn public opinion against them? That's what Rose, myself, and this campy satire of a story aims to find out.” Shop now
