Obsession in the Everyday

Alicia and Remy, a couple in their late twenties, are stuck in dead-end service jobs and a rut of routine, but their relationship is electrified by a shared obsession with Jen, Remy's former coworker. Jen is beautiful, enigmatic, and seemingly perfect—her social media posts are a constant source of fascination and envy. The couple's fixation on Jen is both sexual and aspirational, fueling their fantasies and role-play scenarios. Their lives are marked by a sense of inadequacy and longing, as they compare themselves to Jen's curated online persona and imagine what it would be like to be her, or with her.

The Fantasy of Jen

Remy and Alicia's obsession with Jen is not just passive; it becomes an active part of their intimacy. They joke about replacing Alicia's face with Jen's during sex, and both are complicit in the fantasy. Jen's social media presence is dissected and analyzed, her choices (like adult braces) are mythologized, and her beauty is a source of both admiration and self-loathing. The couple's fixation on Jen is a way to escape their own dissatisfaction, but it also exposes the cracks in their relationship and their own identities.

Social Media and Self

Remy and Alicia's lives are saturated with social media, which amplifies their insecurities and desires. They measure themselves against Jen's posts, feeling inferior and left behind. Their own lives feel unworthy of documentation, and they rationalize their lack of online presence as a sign of superiority. The constant comparison erodes their self-esteem and deepens their obsession, blurring the line between reality and fantasy.

Encounter at the Apple Store

A random encounter with Jen at the Apple Store brings the fantasy crashing into reality. Remy and Alicia are both hyper-aware of their own awkwardness and Jen's effortless charisma. Jen invites them on a surf trip to Montauk with her boyfriend Horus and a group of friends. The invitation is both thrilling and threatening, as it offers the possibility of closeness with Jen but also exposes their own inadequacies and the artificiality of their connection.

Surf Trip Invitation

Remy and Alicia prepare for the trip with a mix of excitement and dread. They scrutinize Jen's boyfriend online, trying to find flaws, but Horus turns out to be effortlessly likable and competent. The trip is a social minefield, with Remy and Alicia feeling like outsiders among Jen's attractive, confident friends. The surf trip becomes a crucible for their insecurities, desires, and the boundaries of their relationship.

Horus and the Hamptons

Horus, Jen's boyfriend, is everything Remy is not: wealthy, athletic, generous, and seemingly without flaws. His presence highlights Remy's own shortcomings and deepens his sense of inadequacy. The group dynamic is shaped by Horus's effortless leadership and Jen's social gravity, leaving Remy and Alicia feeling peripheral and desperate for validation.

Surfing, Self-Image, and Envy

The act of learning to surf is fraught with symbolism. Alicia takes to it naturally, gaining confidence and social acceptance, while Remy flounders, his failures on the board mirroring his failures in life and love. Jen's mastery of surfing is both inspiring and infuriating, and the ocean becomes a stage for the couple's shifting identities and desires. The surf trip exposes the limits of their fantasies and the reality of their own limitations.

Role-Play and Identity

Back home, Remy and Alicia's obsession with Jen intensifies. They incorporate Jen into their sex life through elaborate role-play, with Alicia donning Jen's persona and even her clothes. The boundaries between self and other, fantasy and reality, become increasingly porous. Alicia's transformation into Jen is both empowering and destabilizing, as she begins to lose herself in the performance.

The Haunting Begins

Strange phenomena begin to occur: Alicia sleepwalks, hears knocking, and feels haunted by a presence in the apartment. Remy experiences visions and a growing sense of unease. The haunting is both literal and metaphorical, representing the intrusion of the unconscious, the return of the repressed, and the consequences of their obsession. The supernatural elements escalate, blurring the line between psychological disturbance and external threat.

Sleepwalking and Secrets

Alicia's nocturnal wanderings become more dangerous and bizarre, culminating in an incident where she attacks Jen during the surf trip, apparently while sleepwalking. The event exposes Alicia's unresolved traumas, her history of eating disorders, and the depth of her identification with Jen. The boundaries between self and other, victim and aggressor, are further eroded, and the group's dynamic is irrevocably altered.

The Consummate Result

The characters become obsessed with the idea of the "Consummate Result," a state of perfect self-actualization promoted by a self-help book called The Apple Bush. The book's language of "Signifiers of Flow" and "Toxic Antagonists" becomes a framework for interpreting the increasingly surreal events. The pursuit of transformation, freedom, and authenticity becomes a trap, as the characters lose themselves in the quest for an unattainable ideal.

The Spod and Transformation

Alicia builds a "Spod"—a homemade sensory deprivation pod/hot tub—in the apartment, intending it as a space for relaxation and self-discovery. The Spod becomes a locus of transformation, both creative and destructive. Alicia's immersion in the Spod coincides with her increasing detachment from reality and her ultimate disappearance. The Spod is both a womb and a tomb, a place of rebirth and annihilation.

The Death of Alicia

Alicia dies in a bike accident, her death both random and laden with symbolic meaning. Remy is left to navigate his grief, guilt, and the unresolved tensions of their relationship. The supernatural disturbances intensify, and Remy becomes convinced that Alicia's death is connected to the larger pattern of obsession, role-play, and haunting. The boundaries between the living and the dead, the real and the imagined, collapse.

Grief, Therapy, and Signs

Remy attends group therapy, seeking solace and understanding. He encounters Andrea, a grief counselor and secret author of The Apple Bush, who introduces him to the idea of "Signifiers"—meaningful coincidences that point toward destiny. Remy's grief is refracted through the language of self-help, therapy, and the supernatural, as he searches for signs that will explain or redeem Alicia's death and his own suffering.

The Paranormalagus Emerges

The haunting presence in the apartment manifests as a monstrous creature—the Paranormalagus—a physical embodiment of the couple's toxic obsession and unresolved trauma. The creature is linked to the idea of "Toxic Antagonists" and is fueled by the energy of failed transformation and unfulfilled desire. It kills Jake, Remy's roommate, and threatens to destroy Remy and everyone connected to him.

Destiny and the Signifiers

Remy interprets the escalating signs and supernatural events as evidence that he is destined to be with Jen. The Signifiers point him toward a final, violent act: killing Horus, Jen's boyfriend, to clear the way for his own "Consummate Result." Remy's sense of agency is subsumed by a belief in fate, and he becomes both the hero and the monster of his own story.

The Final Confrontation

Remy confronts Jen and the Paranormalagus in a final, bloody showdown. The creature is revealed to be a monstrous projection of Jen herself, the ultimate embodiment of obsession, envy, and the destructive pursuit of perfection. Remy kills Jen in a scene that is both horrific and cathartic, believing that this act will finally unite him with his destiny and bring closure to his grief.

Becoming the Picture

In the aftermath, Remy attempts to recreate the perfect picture he has always imagined: himself embraced by Jen (or Alicia-as-Jen), finally achieving the union and self-actualization he has longed for. But the moment is hollow, haunted, and suffused with loss. The boundaries between self and other, fantasy and reality, have dissolved completely, leaving Remy alone with the monstrous consequences of his desires.

Characters

Remy

Remy is a dissatisfied, underachieving man in his late twenties, working in the service industry and living with his girlfriend Alicia. He is defined by his obsession with Jen, a former coworker, and his sense of inadequacy in comparison to her and her boyfriend Horus. Remy's psychological landscape is marked by envy, self-loathing, and a desperate longing for transformation. He is both self-aware and self-deceiving, using irony and fantasy to mask his vulnerabilities. As the story progresses, Remy's grip on reality loosens, and he becomes increasingly driven by a belief in destiny and the power of "Signifiers." His journey is one of self-destruction, as he pursues an unattainable ideal at the expense of his own humanity and the lives of those around him.

Alicia

Alicia is Remy's girlfriend, a woman struggling with low self-esteem, body image issues, and a history of eating disorders. She is both complicit in and victimized by the couple's obsession with Jen, participating in role-play and ultimately losing herself in the fantasy. Alicia's desire for transformation and self-actualization is channeled into creative projects (like the Spod) and the adoption of Jen's persona. Her psychological fragility is expressed through sleepwalking, dissociation, and a yearning for validation. Alicia's death is both a literal and symbolic erasure, as she is consumed by the forces she sought to master.

Jen

Jen is the beautiful, enigmatic former coworker who becomes the focus of Remy and Alicia's fantasies. She is both a real person and a projection of their desires, her social media presence carefully curated and mythologized. Jen's own identity is fluid, shaped by the expectations and projections of others. She is both generous and cruel, self-possessed and insecure, and her relationship with Horus is marked by ambivalence. Jen's ultimate fate is to become the monstrous embodiment of the couple's obsession, her individuality subsumed by the roles she is forced to play.

Horus

Horus is Jen's boyfriend, a wealthy, athletic, and seemingly perfect man who embodies everything Remy is not. He is generous, competent, and socially adept, but also somewhat oblivious to the struggles of those around him. Horus's presence intensifies Remy's feelings of inadequacy and envy, and his relationship with Jen is both a source of stability and a site of tension. Horus becomes the target of Remy's violent fantasies, representing the final obstacle to Remy's "Consummate Result."

Carla

Carla is a friend of Jen's and a recurring presence in the group. She is sharp-tongued, self-deprecating, and attuned to the supernatural undercurrents of the story. Carla introduces Remy to the language of "Signifiers" and the idea of destiny, acting as both confidante and provocateur. Her own desires and insecurities are masked by humor and bravado, and she becomes an unwitting victim of the forces she helps unleash.

Jake

Jake is Remy and Alicia's roommate, a benign and slightly clueless presence in the apartment. He is a source of comic relief and a foil to Remy's angst, but his own history of loss and grief is revealed later in the story. Jake's fate is to become collateral damage in the supernatural conflict, his death underscoring the indiscriminate destructiveness of obsession and trauma.

Andrea / A. B. Fisketjon

Andrea is a grief counselor who leads Remy's therapy group and is later revealed to be the author of The Apple Bush, the self-help book that shapes much of the story's language and symbolism. She is both a guide and a cautionary figure, her own experiences with loss and the supernatural paralleling Remy's journey. Andrea's expertise is limited, and her attempts to help are ultimately overwhelmed by the forces at play.

The Paranormalagus

The Paranormalagus is the supernatural creature that haunts Remy and Alicia's apartment, eventually manifesting as a physical threat. It is a literalization of the story's psychological and symbolic themes: the monstrous offspring of obsession, envy, and failed transformation. The creature is linked to the idea of "Toxic Antagonists" and is fueled by the energy of the characters' desires and traumas. Its form is mutable, reflecting the faces and bodies of those it is connected to, and its defeat is both a victory and a tragedy.

Inez

Inez is Remy's coworker, a source of fleeting empathy and advice. She represents the possibility of ordinary connection and understanding, but is ultimately peripheral to the main drama. Her presence highlights Remy's isolation and his inability to accept help from those outside his obsessive orbit.

Cassie

Cassie is Alicia's coworker at the sandwich shop, a pragmatic and sometimes abrasive figure. She serves as a contrast to Alicia's insecurity and creative aspirations, embodying a more grounded (if limited) approach to life. Cassie's interactions with Alicia underscore the latter's alienation and her longing for transformation.

Plot Devices

Obsession as Narrative Engine

The story is propelled by the characters' obsessive fixation on Jen, which shapes their relationships, self-perceptions, and actions. This obsession is both psychological and supernatural, manifesting in role-play, social media stalking, and ultimately the emergence of the Paranormalagus. The narrative structure mirrors the escalation of obsession, moving from mundane fantasy to surreal horror.

Social Media as Mirror and Distorter

Social media is both a plot device and a thematic lens, distorting the characters' sense of self and reality. The constant comparison to curated online personas fuels insecurity, envy, and the desire for transformation. The boundary between online and offline life is blurred, and the characters' attempts to "become the picture" are both tragic and monstrous.

The Supernatural as Metaphor

The emergence of the Paranormalagus and other supernatural phenomena is both a literal threat and a metaphor for the destructive power of obsession, envy, and unresolved trauma. The horror elements externalize the characters' internal struggles, making visible the forces that consume them from within.

The Self-Help Satire

The language of self-help—"Consummate Result," "Signifiers of Flow," "Toxic Antagonists"—is both a source of hope and a trap. The characters' pursuit of transformation and authenticity becomes a parody of self-actualization culture, exposing the emptiness and danger of chasing an unattainable ideal. The self-help framework provides both structure and irony, as the characters are undone by the very tools meant to save them.

Role-Play and Identity Fluidity

Role-play is a recurring device, used by the characters to escape, transform, and connect. The boundaries between self and other, fantasy and reality, are constantly shifting, leading to both liberation and dissolution. The story interrogates the possibility of authentic identity in a world of endless performance and imitation.

Foreshadowing and Recurrence

The narrative is structured around recurring motifs—knocking, sleepwalking, the Spod, the language of self-help—that build a sense of inevitability and dread. Foreshadowing and Recurrence is used to signal the coming horror, and the repetition of certain phrases and images creates a sense of being trapped in a loop, unable to escape the consequences of obsession.

Analysis

A Touch of Jen is a darkly comic, genre-bending exploration of obsession, envy, and the search for self in an age of social media and self-help culture. Beth Morgan uses horror and satire to expose the dangers of chasing an unattainable ideal—whether it's embodied in a person, a lifestyle, or a state of mind. The novel interrogates the porous boundaries between self and other, fantasy and reality, and the ways in which our desires can become monstrous when left unchecked. Through its inventive structure and surreal plot, the book critiques the emptiness of self-actualization rhetoric and the corrosive effects of comparison, while also offering a chilling meditation on grief, transformation, and the longing to become the picture we see on our screens. In the end, the pursuit of the "Consummate Result" leads not to fulfillment, but to violence, dissolution, and the loss of self—a cautionary tale for the Instagram age.

Last updated: July 13, 2025