Book Description

An intoxicating, stunning story of self-destruction and redemption set against the vibrantly painted underworld of New York City, from the critically acclaimed author of White Fur. Lee, hedonistic yet earnest, is on the cusp of a breakdown. Her wild nights out and her management shifts at a Tribeca restaurant are fueled by cocaine and pink champagne, and her glamorous lifestyle is financed by wealthy older men who shower her with gifts. Once an aspiring painter, she can’t remember the last time she touched a canvas. Her old friend Belinda, a reformed party girl, has grown up and distanced herself from both Lee and the reckless lifestyle they once shared. Kai, the man she thought was her soulmate, has left her for Paris, and she is in treacherous territory with her sugar daddy, Yves. When she receives an eviction notice from her landlord, Lee is forced to acknowledge that her life is unraveling at the seams and consider the possibility that there might be meaning in life beyond what can be found in the arms of strange men and the effects of reality-altering substances. Despite her tough exterior, Lee is a vulnerable young woman trying to numb her inner turmoil with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Hypnotic descriptions of her romantic exploits and drunken nights are interspersed with nostalgic memories of her late mother, a stark contrast that alludes to an enduring innocence beneath the chaotic exterior. When Lee finds a seemingly genuine connection in Kelly, the new bartender at her restaurant who is grieving from a loss of his own, she strives to stand on her own and free herself from the grip of her debt and vices. With her signature hypnotizing, elegant prose, Libaire delves deep into Lee’s intimate, toxic relationship with the city nightlife and her own identity.