A Lady's Guide to Selling Out

February 19, 2018
Franson’s snappy debut nimbly skewers the high-flying world of advertising and romance in the age of social media. Casey Pendergast is creative director for the Minneapolis-based People’s Republic advertising firm, anxious to please her achingly cool boss, Celeste Winter, and eager to climb the corporate ladder. She’s given the chance when she’s put in charge of Winter’s new venture, Nanü, paying writers to use and their influence to promote products. Sounds like a win-win. When Casey meets the first author, Ben Dickenson, she’s immediately attracted to him. But navigating the pretentious literary scene, a new promotion, and a possible romance can be tricky business, especially for someone who believes that “love is a delusion shared by two lonely people.” Casey narrates in a hyper, painfully self-aware voice, hiding her insecurity behind great style and great hair. Bitingly funny, she frequently calls out the absurdity of her job duties, such as creating an ad campaign for a self-absorbed Real Housewives star. Characters like Casey’s best friend, Susan, an idealistic, perennially stunted writer, are intelligently observed and further bolster the story. Comparisons will be made to The Devil Wears Prada, but Franson’s irresistibility flawed heroine holds her own as she strives to find honesty, meaning, and even love in a demanding world, resulting in an addictive, escapist novel.