The Booster: A Novel

Jillian Siegel is living the quintessential Manhattan life: great clothes, fabulous boyfriend, a job at the hottest ad agency in town. But what nobody knows is that this twenty-nine year-old hides a dark secret - one that involves stuffing her oversize Gucci handbag with high-priced designer clothes and leaving the store without paying. There was once a time when Jillian didn't need to shop (much less steal) to feel whole. But that was long ago - when she spent hours amusing herself in the enchanted world of her uncle's elegant Upper East Side department store, and her mother's prolonged absences were easily forgotten with a new camel-hair coat or a fresh pair of Mary Janes. But then one day it was all gone - pulled right out from under her. Now, years later, her "perfect" life is loosely held together with half milligrams of Ativan and stolen cashmere scarves - and it's only a matter of time until everything crumbles.

Packed with vibrant characters, bristling dialogue, and rich detail, The Booster is a uniquely stylish, deftly woven story about discovering one's true self in the most unexpected places.