Description
“Like a beautifully-wrapped gift box, full of unexpected pleasures. Alix Strauss proves herself to be an astute and deeply feeling observer of human nature.”
—Dani Shapiro, author of Black & White
A stunning, wise, and witty second novel from renowned trend journalist Alix Strauss, Based Upon Availability chisels away at the exteriors of eight smart and intriguing women while delving deep inside to see what they’re truly made of. Following her Ingram Award-winning The Joy of Funerals—named Best Debut Novel by The New York Resident—Based Upon Availability is women’s literary fiction at its finest.
About the Author
Alix Strauss is a lifestyle trend writer who appears on national morning and talk shows. Her articles have been published in the New York Times, Marie Claire, Time, and Entertainment Weekly, among other publications. She is the author of The Joy of Funerals, Have I Got a Guy for You, and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous, and the Notorious.
Praise For…
“This sharp and brilliant novel shows that truth cannot be seen from the outside. You’ll absorb every anecdote’s last detail as real human connection resurfaces and these women take steps to become the people they’ve always dreamed they’d be.” — Elle
“Strauss has a knack for inserting the kinds of surprises that shock but also strengthen the impact of the novel. ” — More.com
“This is the classic read-it-in-one-big-gulp book. Or spend several days at the beach with it; compelling from first page to last -- edgy, moving, human.” — Liz Smith, Page Six
“Colorful writing...Strauss takes on famed New York lodging the Four Seasons, filling the storied hostelry with colorful women characters who share a common human bond.” — New York Post
“Strauss has a knack for inserting the kinds of surprises that shock but also strengthen the impact of the novel. ” — Baltimore Morning Sun
“Stellar...Subplots play out and scenes are revisited courtesy of a number of perspectives—hotel employees, friends and family, hotel guests—creating a near mosaic with twinges of darkness....this is quite sublime. — Publishers Weekly
“Mesmerizing...the characters in this moving novel are achingly sympathetic, their plights eminently relatable.” — Booklist
“Imminently entertaining…an insightful and engrossing character study of eight women not so very different than you or I. Looking past their superficial differences, you will find yourself identifying, in at least some small measure, with each and every one of them—like it or not!” — Bookclubcheerleader.com
From Strauss (stories: The Joy of Funerals, 2003, etc.), a novel concerning a Manhattan Four Seasons manager who witnesses the alarmingly bleak lives of women (herself included) confronting the loss of youth...These New York stories will remind some readers of Parker—as in Dorothy, not Sarah Jessica. — Kirkus Reviews
“BASED UPON AVAILABILITY is like a beautifully-wrapped gift box, full of unexpected pleasures. Alix Strauss proves herself to be an astute and deeply feeling observer of human nature.” — Dani Shapiro, author of Black & White
“There’s a story behind every room at Manhattan’s famed Four Seasons Hotel, and in her engaging novel Alix Strauss weaves them together in a dark and complicated tapestry. From the seemingly put-together manager to the aging rock star, every character has a secret and nothing is what it seems.” — Shari Goldhagen, author of Family and Other Accidents
“Alix Strauss is one of the most enjoyable writers in this or any country. Based Upon Availability is fun, smart and beautiful.” — Darin Strauss, author of More Than It Hurts You
“It’s Eloise from the Plaza, now 32 and running the hotel, with a hint of the S&M of Mary Gaitskill and the elegant precision of Lorrie Moore--and the touch of Strauss’s own signature macabre that I adore.” — Jennifer Belle, author of HIGH MAINTENANCE and THE SEVEN YEAR BITCH