Every month, Women's Health hosts our 60-second book club, where we invite you to take a quick peek inside a buzzed-about new book and let us know what you think. This month's pick: Pretty in Ink by Lindsey Palmer (Kensington Books).
If your job involves absolutely zero politics, then we're guessing you're probably self-employed. For the rest of us, who have to deal with co-workers and bosses on a regular basis, workplace drama is a fact of life. It's especially true in Pretty in Ink, the new novel from first-time author Lindsey Palmer that hits shelves on March 25.
The book is set in the office of Hers magazine just after the editor-in-chief is laid off due to slumping sales. Each chapter is written from the viewpoint of a different character on staff, turning the world of women's magazines into the real main character of the book. And Palmer definitely knows a thing or two about that world: While she's now a writer and an English teacher, she spent seven years working and freelance writing for magazines such as Self, Redbook, and Glamour.
The book isn't just another The Devil Wears Prada, though: "It's really about all of the tensions that come up with the new people coming on and people leaving and what it means to be part of that transformation, which I think can be both scary and exciting," says Palmer. "Even if you've never opened a women's magazine before in your life, I think most people who've worked at a company during this recession era have experienced something like that and can probably relate to all those different feelings."
Take a look at this excerpt from the first chapter, which is told from the viewpoint of Leah Brenner, who was second-in-command before the old editor-in-chief was fired:
At 9:45 sharp, the new boss calls the whole staff into the conference room. Physically, Mimi is the opposite of Louisa—big and broad and blond, where the old boss was petite and brunette and birdlike. She is imposing at the front of the room, like a gorilla who's already staked out and claimed this new territory as her own.
"I can't tell you how thrilled and excited I am to lead this team in the transformation of Hers magazine," Mimi trills. No one points out that "thrilled" and "excited" are synonyms; it's the type of thing Louisa would've had no tolerance for. "This title has such great potential. I can't wait to share my vision for change, and to pool all of your fantastic ideas and create a sparkling new hit of a magazine." We plaster on smiles and shift uncomfortably in our wedges and strappy sandals as Mimi casually dismisses the magazine we've proudly been producing month after month for years—we are a team that has stuck together.
Mimi continues: "A little birdie told me this office is known for—how shall I say it?—a laid-back schedule." If by that she means working from nine-thirty to six instead of nine-thirty to midnight like many publications, then she's right. "There's nothing wrong with laid-back, of course, but that's what weekends are for, right?" Mimi emits the first of what we'll come to know as her notorious "Ha!"s, a staccato syllable closely resembling a real laugh, but lacking the latter's underlying sense of humor. "Although the truth is, weekends might become a bit of a mirage this summer, too. We'll be working hard to prep the relaunch for the November issue," she says. "I hope you're prepared to have your lives turned upside down for a while." Nervous titters all around.
"OK, now introductions!" We go around the room and state our names and titles. "I'm Leah Brenner, executive editor," I say with as much authority as I can muster, but I fear I sound like a fraud. Plus, I'm worried my heavy eyelids are drooping dangerously low, so I keep pinching my thigh; I can feel the beginnings of a bruise. To my left is Louisa's old assistant. "I'm Jenny," she says, "and I hope to be your assistant." Mimi lets out another one: "Ha!" followed by, "You're funny." Within hours Jenny will be a goner.
The book is a perfectly salacious beach read, but there's a deeper takeaway to it, too: "I think it's worth thinking about the people you sit side-by-side with every day," says Palmer. "What's going on with them and how does that affect their job? I hope this book sheds a bit of light onto that idea."
Have you ever had the stressful but also sort of thrilling experience of working at someplace while a regime change was happening? Or just worrying whether your job was safe because of the recession? Do you think you'll read Pretty in Ink? Share your thoughts in the comments!
More From Women's Health:
12 Ways to Become the Office Superstar
What Guys REALLY Think—According to a Female Author
How to Have a Life Outside of Work
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