It's opening night, but Alice finds herself performing in a local Bay Area production of The Winter's Tale, far from her dreams of a glamorous career in Los Angeles. The basement theatre in a wildfire-choked town is not what she envisioned, and to make matters worse, her best friend Sadie isn't attending. Despite being each other's only friends since high school, their paths diverged after college, with Sadie prioritizing her boyfriend over supporting Alice. In a bid to help, Sadie enlists her mother, Celine, a professor of Women's and Gender Studies at UC Berkeley, who is struggling with writer's block on her new book. Initially reluctant, Celine agrees to attend Alice's play for a distraction and unexpectedly becomes captivated by Alice's performance, seeing her daughter's best friend in a new light. Spanning decades, the narrative explores the evolution of Alice and Sadie's friendship, Celine's decision to leave her husband, and the radical movements of 90s Berkeley, culminating in a complex affair between Alice and Celine. This relationship challenges their love for Sadie and their beliefs about power, agency, and feminism. Witty, relatable, and surprising, the novel offers a mesmerizing portrayal of the inner lives of three distinct women.
