Lior Torenberg Discusses Debut Novel 'Just Watch Me' with Mary Calvi

Debut Novel 'Just Watch Me'

• 📚 Lior Torenberg's debut novel, "Just Watch Me," was selected as Club Calvi's first read of 2026.
• ✍️ The book took approximately two to three years to write and publish, with Torenberg starting it in 2021 and nearing a final draft by 2023.
• ✨ Torenberg found that writing during the pandemic, with a focus on entertainment and joy, helped bring the novel to fruition.

Character and Plot Inspiration

• 🏥 The story centers on Dell, a desperate young woman who livestreams her life to fund private healthcare for her sister.
• 💡 Torenberg was inspired by observing platforms like Twitch, particularly the niche where individuals stream everyday activities.
• 🌶️ Dell discovers that stunts like eating increasingly hot peppers gain viewers and donations, leading to excruciating pain and gastrointestinal distress.

Themes of Performance and Authenticity

• 🎭 Dell initiates a 24-hour live stream to avoid confronting her own difficult emotions and rock-bottom state.
• 👤 By creating a persona, she seeks to control how she is perceived, with viewers reinforcing this curated image.
• ⚠️ The narrative explores the terror of being truly seen versus the joy of being watched, as Dell eventually must confront her reality with loved ones.

Central Question for Readers

• 🧐 Torenberg poses the question of who is truly in control in the narrative, as Dell sets the context but viewers influence her actions through donations for dangerous stunts.