Who Is Maud Dixon?

Small-town aspirant Florence Darrow feels she is destined to become a well-known author. Upon discovering that she has the chance to work as an assistant to the renowned yet unidentified novelist "Maud Dixon" (think of Elena Ferrante), she feels as though the universe is finally giving her the big break. The setup seems perfect; Helen is sharp and lots of insightful advice about writing and life in general. She goes so far as to ask Florence to join her on a research trip to Morocco, the setting for her next book. Florence has never traveled outside of the nation; perhaps, she thinks, she will at last have a fascinating personal story to tell.

However, following a horrific vehicle accident that leaves Florence unconscious in the hospital, Florence starts to fantasize about what it would be like to "upgrade" into both Helen's life and the life of her best-selling pen name, Maud Dixon.