Everything Must Go
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
'A witty portrayal of a certain type of uber-conscious New York millennial . . . a comic, self deprecatory illustration of the conflict between our projected self-image, versus the reality' Financial Times
Flora Goldwasser is private school perfection - all wrapped up in a vintage Grace Kelly dress. But when she leaves elite Manhattan for an academy of unwashed hippies and ironic hipsters in the Hudson Valley, Flora discovers that when it comes to popularity and approval there is no commutative property. Her love of Maison Kayser macaroons, perfect French conjugation, Jackie Kennedy sunglasses, and Audrey Hepburn movies make her the ultimate outsider in a land of kale, quinoa, and tattered tunics.
Told through a collage of letters, emails and clippings, Everything Must Go is a thoughtful, nuanced story about identity, sex, friendship, and the bridges we cross (and burn) as we grow into ourselves. A budding Marxist, a Jenna Lyons doppelganger, and a jacked dude named Agnes come together with a vending machine full of vintage accessories as Flora throws off the mantle of expectations, assumptions, and perfection -- the trappings of her old life.
Everything Must Go is an offbeat, modern novel with emotionally rich and compelling characters.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vintage-fashion queen Flora Goldwasser falls hard and fast for her private-school tutor, photographer Elijah. After agreeing to do some modeling for him in some of her best 1950s outfits (always with her face concealed), she becomes an online fashion sensation as "Miss Tulip." On a whim, Flora quits her exclusive New York City private school to attend the Quaker "upstate-New-York-hippie-school" where Elijah will be teaching the following year. But he doesn't show up, and Flora is stuck at the Quare Academy, which promotes organic lifestyles and discourages "shell-speak" (comments about a person's appearance). Flora struggles to retain her fashion edge in a world of "tattered tunics," unshaven legs, and kale, and along the way manages to create her own brand of activism. Written through text messages, blog posts, letters, journal entries, and more, Davis's smart and witty debut captures a girl's changing attitude and gradual acclimation to a very different environment. Filled with vibrant characters, it balances gentle jabs at pop culture and self-righteousness with thought-provoking ideas about feminist ideals and human frailties. Ages 14 up.
