Like The Devil
Wears Prada and Debt and other
books about coming of age in New York, this debut novel introduces us to Tess,
who is a fish out of water in her sundress and cardigan, trying to bluff her
way through an interview when she’s way over her head. We like her, and we
enjoy being educated along with her, introduced to the nuances of taste—you
will develop a palate—and the intricacies of food service where meals are works
of art and presentations like little pieces of theater. We also love the vision
she has of her New York self—a sophisticated, better-dressed, better paid
version of herself who lives a life filled with art openings and concerts and
love and excitement. We KNOW that vision because we’ve all had a version of it.
Tess is an “Everywoman” who is relatable, not just to
Millennials, but also to anyone who ever followed a dream from a dusty town
where the residents were obsessed with football and church to New York or Los
Angeles, or any other glittering metropolis where the possibilities seem
limitless and even the reality is better than the reality left behind. When she
first arrives in town, it seems like she’s always being wrong-footed and
judged, and her thoughts about the people she meets are bemused and sensible
and endearing. She is an OUTSIDER who wants to be an INSIDER in the worst way
and if there are few readers alive who can’t remember that feeling, even if
they won’t admit it. When she literally “earns her stripes” (the servers all
wear striped shirts while the back waiters wear white button-downs), we’re
pleased for her.
