Book review: Raw, unfiltered look at child star trauma

Louise O'Neill's new novel will leave readers so invested they might forget they are reading a work of fiction

Louise O’Neill confronts subjects often thought of as ‘unmentionable’, turning them into stories that can leave readers questioning their prior assumptions and seeing the world around them differently. Picture: Anna Groniecka

• Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone?
• Louise O'Neill
• Bantam Press, €18.95

Louise O’Neill has never shied away from writing about uncomfortable topics. 

The West Cork author confronts subjects often thought of as ‘unmentionable’, turning them into stories that can leave readers questioning their prior assumptions and seeing the world around them differently.

Her newest novel, one of two books that will be released this year (the other being her first work of non-fiction) is a raw, unfiltered look at the lives of child stars, and how the massive weight of fame placed on tiny shoulders can follow them darkly into adulthood.

Back in the early 2000s, twin sisters Madeline and Chelsea Stone were everywhere.

Their young faces were plastered on Hollywood billboards and TV screens as they starred opposite each other in the popular sitcom Double Trouble.

Chelsea exists almost entirely in Maddie’s shadow, her twin shining brightly thanks to her natural acting abilities. 

Even their mother Erin cannot disguise the favouritism she feels towards Maddie as she basks in her daughter’s stardom, lapping up the attention she receives as a stage mom.

But the tide begin to turn when the twins audition for the same starring role in Vigilante Queens, a show guaranteed to change the lives of whoever is cast. 

When Chelsea receives a phone call offering her the part, nothing is ever the same again.

“Chelsea was tired of being compared to Maddie. The two of them had been pitted against one another since they were children. It was as if one could not exist without the context of the other. One had to be more talented or better-looking or easier to manage.”

The rift between the sisters grows quickly. Maddie’s spiraling leads her to pick up new unhealthy habits, and she becomes even more averse to the Hollywood lifestyle.

Meanwhile, Chelsea spends all of her time on set, trying to fit into size zero dresses while shaking off her former child star label.

And just as Chelsea’s fame hits an all-time high, Maddie suddenly disappears, leaving no trace.

By 2025, Chelsea has retired from acting. Instead, she relies on her wealthy tech mogul husband, Nick, who provides for her and their two young children. 

This allows them to have a lavish lifestyle mostly out of the public eye.

Racked with guilt that has been simmering for almost two decades, Chelsea purposely isolated herself from the vicious world she once knew, one that took everything from her.

Thankfully the celebrity gossip and tabloid nonsense have died down, and she is living a relatively normal life, as mundane as an ex-Hollywood superstar can get, anyway.

That is until a mysterious blog begins posting diary entries and pictures belonging to the late Madeline Stone, and threatens to reveal cruel secrets that could easily unravel the careful life Chelsea has built for herself. 

She is suddenly thrown back into the conspiracy-fuelled viper pit, but this time she must face it alone while trying to figure out what really happened to her sister.

O’Neill hits the nail on the head when writing about child stardom in the early 2000s. 

From online timers counting down to the twins turning 18 years old, to the twisted, malicious way gossip websites operate, the novel captures a culture that thrived on tearing down already struggling young adults.

Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone? is a book that will leave readers so invested they might forget they are reading a work of fiction.

It may even make some feel slightly uncomfortable in places — but what is art if it does not provoke feeling?