Break in Case of Emergency

(Paperback)

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Extremely funny a satirical masterpiece that is tender and existentially-minded as well. I loved it! Elizabeth McKenzie, author of THE PORTABLE VEBLEN

Very smart and juicy and weird and entertaining it reads like a chick lit plot written by Franzen Curtis Sittenfeld
Jen has reached her early thirties and has all but abandoned a once-promising painting career when, spurred by the economic crisis, she takes a poorly defined job at a feminist nonprofit. The foundations aim is to empower women, but staffers spend all their time devising acronyms for imaginary programs, ruthlessly undermining one another, and stroking the ego of their boss, the larger-than-life celebrity philanthropist Leora Infinitas.

Jens complicity in this passive-aggressive hellscape only intensifies her feelings of inferiority compared to her two best friends one a wealthy attorney with a picture-perfect family, the other a passionately committed artist and so does Jens apparent inability to have a baby, a source of existential panic that begins to affect her marriage and her already precarious status at the office.

Jessica Winters ferociously intelligent debut novel is a wry satire that explores the difficulty of navigating friendships as they shift to accommodate marriage and family, and the unspoken tensions that can strain even the strongest bonds.

Reviews

Very smart and juicy and weird and entertaining it reads like a chick lit plot written by Franzen Curtis Sittenfeld

An extraordinary debut Winters novel is extremely good, because it is so well written Guardian

Extremely funny a satirical masterpiece that is tender and existentially-minded as well. I loved it! Elizabeth McKenzie, author of THE PORTABLE VEBLEN

In this cutting commentary on workplace toxicity and how its tendrils can strangle relationships, Winter uses humour to illuminate the state of modern work, family, and friendship. She does a stellar job
Elle

If you need a New York map of our times, have Jessica Winter become your cartographer. Sassy, sarcastic and sleek, this is a wonderfully brash appraisal of how we live
National Book Award winner Colum McCann

Enthralling, sharply observed Marie Claire

Hilarious The personal and workplace plots are woven together beautifully. Read, cringe, laugh, relate Lenny

A funny and moving commentary on that point in a woman's life when everything seems to come into question New York Times

Curious, captivating Kirkus Reviews

If youre wondering what its like to live in New York when youre young, just buy Jessica Winters book. Its funny, satirical, and deftly written Mike Schur, co-creator of Parks and Recreation

Author Bio

JESSICA WINTER is features editor at Slate and the former culture editor of Time. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Bookforum, The Believer, and many other publications. She lives in Brooklyn.