In the Drink - by Kate Christensen (Paperback)

About the Book

Combining sly humor with an urban edge, Christiansen's "In the Drink" relates how a resolutely clear-eyed young woman who makes a complete mess of her life and lives to tell the tale. Now, at the age of 29, Claudia finds herself adrift in the city, careening dangerously from catastrophe to catastrophe as she tries to keep her head above water.

Book Synopsis

In this compassionate, wise, and comical debut, Kate Christensen gives an engaging and authentic voice to a new generation of single urban women.

Claudia Steiner never intended for her life to become such a disaster. At the age of twenty-nine she finds herself serving as secretary to an insane, aging socialite who barks orders from her toilet, specializes in devastating backhanded remarks, and expects Claudia to ghostwrite her best-selling novels. Her job pays enough to keep her in overpriced cocktails, cabs, and take-out but doesn't cover the rent on her roach-infested apartment or keep her creditors at bay. Her romantic prospects are no better. She's hopelessly in love with her best friend, a corporate lawyer who may or may not be gay, and she's still relentlessly pursued by her ex-lover, a married unpublished epic poet. All Claudia can rely on--aside from her wry sense of humor and her faith in the medicinal properties of whiskey--is a persistent little flame of belief in herself, which gives her the glimmer of a chance for a happy ending.

Review Quotes

"At a time when authors are penning best-selling memoirs about their alcoholic torment, and 12-step programs are as popular as SUVs, Christensen's take is refreshing."--The New York Post

"[T]he freshest anti-heroine I've read in a long time. This is no depressing drunk-noir; it's a great description of real life--the good, the manageable, and the awful."--Jane

"[A] breezy and confident first novel."--The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Kate Christensen lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.