April 10, 2023
Gaynor, a senior editor at LitHub, debuts with a witty send-up of wellness culture and the perils of transforming people into brands. Jane, a 29-year-old PR manager, is losing her enthusiasm for pitching ridiculous products. She’s also recently been dumped, and a six-figure medical bill from a bout of appendicitis adds to her existential spiral. Desperate for something to sell, she stumbles on an Instagram account for a weekend retreat called FortPath, led by an enigmatic and gorgeous woman named Cass. Held at a dilapidated farmhouse in New Jersey, FortPath is about what one would expect: the kind of place where people “spoke frankly about their bowels” and engage in (literally) masturbatory meditation sessions. But Cass is a magnetic presence, and everyone there buys what she sells—including her husband, Tom. Jane is a bit more skeptical, but, having been let go from her day job, she sees Cass as “a golden goose” and sets out to turn her into a star. Though the narrative idles a bit too much in exposition and backstory mode, there’s an amusing story in here about the pitfalls of idol worship. With pithy and poignant observations about the costs of treating people like products, Gaynor makes this shine.
May 1, 2023
A rudderless woman searches for meaning at a wellness retreat. Jane Dorner, an account manager at Relevancy PR, spends her day sending emails that include phrases such as "in case you think this is just another basic-bitch vibrator" and "#GirlBoss." That is when she's not pining over her poet ex-boyfriend, Byron; agonizing about her nearly $100,000 in medical debt; or using company time to cyberstalk Byron's new girlfriend. After Jane is caught slacking off by her boss, she's desperate to keep her job. Her Hail Mary pass is to pitch the idea of Relevancy getting into "experiences" rather than just products. Jane has her eye on FortPath, a wellness retreat she discovered on Instagram. Despite warnings that it might be a cult, Jane, so entranced by the woman she saw on FortPath's Instagram page, packs her bags (and a decent amount of self-loathing) and departs on FortPath's 11:30 a.m. livery cab to New Jersey--the 6:30 a.m. option that all the other participants take being unfathomably early. When she arrives, Jane meets the beautiful and enigmatic Cass, the woman she had admired on Instagram. Cass, who walks around barefoot and has the uncanny ability to make participants release themselves by weeping (among other, less PG-rated releases), is described by Jane as having "the charisma of a cult leader, but not enough of the drive." FortPath is also staffed by Tom Bradstreet, a surprisingly three-dimensional character whose backstory is the most compelling part of the novel. The first third of the book is a hokey slog, filled with every wellness clich� imaginable. However, once Jane starts working for FortPath full time, there is a definite shift, and Gaynor is able to balance humor with a decent amount of heart. A somewhat successful look at the people who participate in and profit from the wellness industry.
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