When the specter of death comes to reality TV, who's to blame?
After
a reality television competitor dies during filming, it sends the
cast reeling. Follow Jason Debord as he takes on the role of amateur
detective to gain clarity into the death of a reality TV co-star and
ends up uncovering criminal conspiracy.
When
Jason returned home from competing on Beached, he'd lost weight,
couldn't sleep, and felt more alone than ever. But he expected those
changes. Jason had no way to predict that one of his fellow
competitors would fling himself from a cliff. Unless he didn't. Jason
can't believe it, but the network presents coverage of the alleged
suicide to the world.
Seeing
motive in every crew member's movements, Jason compiles evidence of
conspiracy, only to be met with resistance from the cast and network
alike. He persists only through the support of his developing
relationship with Blake, a psychologist who observes alarming
similarities between her patient and her partner. Events in Cut
Reality have a variety of interpretations. Ultimately, Jason has to
decide while under the watchful eye of the public: is his
understanding too coincidental to be believed, or so shocking because
it's his new reality.
Zack
Hacker's debut novel will please fans of reality television and
psychological thrillers alike. If you enjoy Survivor, Big Brother,
The Amazing Race, MTV's The Challenge, or other works of
character-driven suspense, don't miss this highly anticipated
release.
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DAY 37
AFTER BREAKFAST
Things out here are so crazy.
Remembering that this is a game is nearly impossible. It took about two full
days to appease everyone who was shocked by the Maddy vote. I wanted Desiree
out, but this had to happen. Turns out I was wrong.
No one thinks of life outside the game,
off this island. We're all real people—and that's what makes lying and
backstabbing so difficult—it reminds us that there are lives to go back to,
that there are real emotions and real people at play. None of us are the
invulnerable game pieces that we strategize as in the abstract.
Maddy is sure to be actually, genuinely
upset and mad at us. The cut Billy has on his foot is getting bad, which could
easily get infected and affect his ability to work after the game. This game,
this show, is simultaneously unimportant because it's just a game, and
important because these are our actual lives we're playing with. Emotions, physical
health, time.
Anyway, the producers and camera
operators took an interest in us again. The interviews resumed, and we're back
to being
followed into the woods to take a piss.
Riveting footage. They also cleared off their spot down by the beach. I figured
their camp was there, but Billy and I went exploring (hoping to find any
discarded food or personal items) and there's no trace that there was ever
anything built or set up there. Whatever they were doing, there wasn't a set
structure, and they're no longer up to it.
I figure that maybe they just move
around because they need a variety of camera angles and don't want a totally
un-filmable stretch of beach (production can't be shown in the actual
television show).
Billy's suspicious of them. I told him
to stay out of it—if he pisses them off, they can make our lives even more
miserable.
He continues to harass them, asking
them questions about what they're up to, and why they randomly seem to
disregard us for days at a time. I must say, he is right, they missed filming
the strategizing and planning for the Maddy vote—no clue how they'll cut the
episode with no footage. It's all Billy talks about now—"what are the
camera guys up to," "why are all the producers blocking off this
section of forest," "who are these new crew members who suddenly
appeared." They're definitely up to something, but my opinion on the
matter is Tennyson's. Ours "is not to reason"; ours "is but to
do and die." Well, that might be dramatic.
We're starving, sleep deprived,
suffering injuries, stressed and living in fear of each other, but not dying.
It only feels like it.
Zack
Hacker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he currently teaches
English and Creative Writing. He is a graduate of Mount Saint Joseph
University and received his M.A. in English from Case Western Reserve
University. He lives with his wife and three cats, watches too much
reality TV, and plans travel experiences. Cut Reality is his debut
novel.
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