Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
One of today's most provocative literary writers--the author of the acclaimed Sunshine State and Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist--captures the complicated and confused state of modern romance and the egos that inflate it in an edgy and vibrant novel, with shades of Fleabag and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, that follows a young woman's search for belonging and love through a series of unstable and unfulfilling relationships with emotionally unavailable young men.
Nina is many things: a writer, a romantic, and a loyal friend to an incestuous crew of Florida locals all floundering through the complex politics of modern life. She's also an addict, a cheater, and a liar. She's looking for love. She deserves it.
From the burned-out suburbs of Florida to the anonymous squalor of New York City, Nina seeks romantic possibilities and pursues any man she thinks might be able to fulfill her and provide her with the self-worth she is unaware she so desperately lacks. Among them are Mission and his pet rat, both of whom are looking for a place to call home (maybe Nina can help?); Seth, an artist whose latest show is comprised of three Tupperware containers full of trash; and Aaron, who doesn't believe in a closed-door bathroom policy. There are also those Nina turns to for help: Juniper, the white, dreadlocked hypnotherapist; Odessa, her oldest friend and master of the back-handed compliment; and the unnamed analyst who has perfected the art of total silence in their sessions--except to arrange payment at their end.
Nina's quest for romantic and sexual fulfillment is at once darkly comedic, acerbically acute and painfully human. Whether pursuing abusive relationships, dissociating during sex, or self-abusing in myriad ways, Nina's quest is at once a scathing critique of contemporary society and a tender examination of our anguished yearning for connection in a world in which we are fundamentally, existentially alone.
Synopsis
An Entertainment Weekly 30 Hottest Books of the Summer
One of today's most provocative literary writers--the author of the critically acclaimed Sunshine State and the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist Binary Star--captures the confused state of modern romance and the egos that inflate it in a dark comedy about a woman's search for acceptance, identity, and financial security in the rise of Trump.
Nina is a struggling writer, a college drop-out, a liar, and a cheater. More than anything she wants love. She deserves it.
From the burned-out suburbs of Florida to the anonymous squalor of New York City, she eats through an incestuous cast of characters in search of it: her mother, a narcissistic lesbian living in a nudist polycule; Odessa, a single mom with even worse taste in men than Nina; Seth, an artist whose latest show is comprised of three Tupperware containers full of trash; Brian, whose roller-coaster affair with Nina is the most stable "relationship" in his life; and Aaron, an aspiring filmmaker living at home with his parents, with whom Nina begins to write her magnum opus.
Nina's quest for fulfillment is at once darkly comedic, acerbically acute, and painfully human--a scathing critique of contemporary society, and a tender examination of our anguished yearning for connection in an era defined by detachment.
Synopsis
An Entertainment Weekly 30 Hottest Books of the Summer Selection - A Refinery29 25 Books You'll Want To Read This Summer Selection
One of today's most provocative literary writers--the author of the critically-acclaimed Sunshine State and the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist Binary Star--captures the confused state of modern romance and the egos that inflate it in a dark comedy about a woman's search for acceptance, identity, and financial security in the rise of Trump.
Nina is a struggling writer, a college drop-out, a liar, and a cheater. More than anything she wants love. She deserves it.
From the burned-out suburbs of Florida to the anonymous squalor of New York City, she eats through an incestuous cast of characters in search of it: her mother, a narcissistic lesbian living in a nudist polycule; Odessa, a single mom with even worse taste in men than Nina; Seth, an artist whose latest show is comprised of three Tupperware containers full of trash; Brian, whose roller-coaster affair with Nina is the most stable "relationship" in his life; and Aaron, an aspiring filmmaker living at home with his parents, with whom Nina begins to write her magnum opus.
Nina's quest for fulfillment is at once darkly comedic, acerbically acute, and painfully human--a scathing critique of contemporary society, and a tender examination of our anguished yearning for connection in an era defined by detachment.
Synopsis
A Glamour Best Book of 2020 - An Entertainment Weekly 30 Hottest Books of the Summer - A Refinery29 25 Books You'll Want To Read This Summer Selection - A Chicago Review of Books 10 Must-Read Books of the Month - A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of the Year - A The Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year
One of today's most provocative literary writers--the author of the critically-acclaimed Sunshine State and the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist Binary Star--captures the confused state of modern romance and the egos that inflate it in a dark comedy about a woman's search for acceptance, identity, and financial security in the rise of Trump.
Nina is a struggling writer, a college drop-out, a liar, and a cheater. More than anything she wants love. She deserves it.
From the burned-out suburbs of Florida to the anonymous squalor of New York City, she eats through an incestuous cast of characters in search of it: her mother, a narcissistic lesbian living in a nudist polycule; Odessa, a single mom with even worse taste in men than Nina; Seth, an artist whose latest show is comprised of three Tupperware containers full of trash; Brian, whose roller-coaster affair with Nina is the most stable "relationship" in his life; and Aaron, an aspiring filmmaker living at home with his parents, with whom Nina begins to write her magnum opus.
Nina's quest for fulfillment is at once darkly comedic, acerbically acute, and painfully human--a scathing critique of contemporary society, and a tender examination of our anguished yearning for connection in an era defined by detachment.
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Juliet Escoria, author of JULIET THE MANIACSynopsis
A Glamour Best Book of 2020- Winner of an Audiofile Earphones Award - An Entertainment Weekly 30 Hottest Books of the Summer - A Refinery29 25 Books You'll Want To Read This Summer Selection - A Chicago Review of Books 10 Must-Read Books of the Month - A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of the Year - A The Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year - A Shondaland 15 Hot Books for Summer
One of today's most provocative literary writers--the author of the critically-acclaimed Sunshine State and the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist Binary Star--captures the confused state of modern romance and the egos that inflate it in a dark comedy about a woman's search for acceptance, identity, and financial security in the rise of Trump.
Nina is a struggling writer, a college drop-out, a liar, and a cheater. More than anything she wants love. She deserves it.
From the burned-out suburbs of Florida to the anonymous squalor of New York City, she eats through an incestuous cast of characters in search of it: her mother, a narcissistic lesbian living in a nudist polycule; Odessa, a single mom with even worse taste in men than Nina; Seth, an artist whose latest show is comprised of three Tupperware containers full of trash; Brian, whose roller-coaster affair with Nina is the most stable "relationship" in his life; and Aaron, an aspiring filmmaker living at home with his parents, with whom Nina begins to write her magnum opus.
Nina's quest for fulfillment is at once darkly comedic, acerbically acute, and painfully human--a scathing critique of contemporary society, and a tender examination of our anguished yearning for connection in an era defined by detachment.