06/08/2020
The intriguing debut by Katz (a pseudonym) chronicles nine months of grueling work, politics, and harassment endured by Alex Vogel, an ambitious female associate at a top Manhattan law firm. Always up for a challenge, Alex is drawn to the department of mergers and acquisitions at Klasko & Fitch. Her game attitude and work ethic quickly earn her the respect of her male superiors. These include star lawyer Peter Dunn, whose client Gary Kaplan has a reputation for misogyny yet is the firm’s largest source of revenue. Alex soon becomes enamored with the money, prestige, and power at M&A, much to her live-in boyfriend’s chagrin. She begins an affair with Peter, and along the way becomes the subject of brutal gossip, develops a dependence on alcohol, and discovers the dark truth of what her colleagues will do to protect their financial interests. Interspersed with the main story are bits from a testimony given by Alex after the events of the book, as witness in a case brought against Kaplan by another woman. The author makes Alex a complicated protagonist, exploring how she navigates the hurdles of an abusive environment while trying to get ahead. Anyone who’s curious about the world of high-powered law firms will enjoy Katz’s engaging and brutal novel. Allison Hunter, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Aug.)
"Written under a pseudonym by a currently practicing lawyer, The Boys’ Club tracks one woman’s entry into the male-dominated world of high-stakes law and what happens when her carefully planned life spins out of control." — Good Morning America, "New Must-Read Books for the Ultimate Escape in August"
"Fast, sharp and utterly compulsive, The Boys' Club hit me right where I live in the most satisfying way possible. Erica Katz writes a wildly juicy story of office politics with the rare warmth and empathy of a true insider." — Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network
“Compelling. . . . already one of the most talked-about books of the summer.” — Moms.com
"Sharply observed and utterly engrossing, The Boys' Club is part coming of age story, part riveting workplace drama, set in the world of big firm law where one young female associate finds that getting ahead means there are no good choices." — Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Marriage
"The Firm, but from a female perspective, with sharp insight into all it entails to succeed as a woman in corporate America. A smart and thrilling page-turner—written with intelligence, heart, and incredible insight." — Kathy Wang, author of Family Trust
“I devoured The Boys’ Club in a couple of hungry sittings - it was one of those books that I couldn’t put down without wanting to pick it right back up. Like Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, this is a story that anyone who’s ever been young and confused and dream-driven in New York will find all too relatable. I simply loved it.” — Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies
"A knowing, nuanced #MeToo story from the world of corporate law, with juicy The Wolf of Wall Street–type action." — Kirkus Reviews
“An intriguing debut. . . . Anyone who’s curious about the world of high-powered law firms will enjoy Katz’s engaging and brutal novel.” — Publishers Weekly
“Fans of books and films like The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Our Little Racket will be entertained by the high-powered hijinks at Klasko & Fitch. . . . Nodding to current events, Katz provides a convincing argument for the power of #MeToo while showing that many industries still have a long way to go. . . . With this fascinating look inside the skyscrapers and behind the boardroom doors, Katz puts BigLaw on trial.” — Booklist
I devoured The Boys’ Club in a couple of hungry sittings - it was one of those books that I couldn’t put down without wanting to pick it right back up. Like Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, this is a story that anyone who’s ever been young and confused and dream-driven in New York will find all too relatable. I simply loved it.
"Sharply observed and utterly engrossing, The Boys' Club is part coming of age story, part riveting workplace drama, set in the world of big firm law where one young female associate finds that getting ahead means there are no good choices."
"Written under a pseudonym by a currently practicing lawyer, The Boys’ Club tracks one woman’s entry into the male-dominated world of high-stakes law and what happens when her carefully planned life spins out of control."
"The Firm, but from a female perspective, with sharp insight into all it entails to succeed as a woman in corporate America. A smart and thrilling page-turner—written with intelligence, heart, and incredible insight."
Compelling. . . . already one of the most talked-about books of the summer.
Fans of books and films like The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Our Little Racket will be entertained by the high-powered hijinks at Klasko & Fitch. . . . Nodding to current events, Katz provides a convincing argument for the power of #MeToo while showing that many industries still have a long way to go. . . . With this fascinating look inside the skyscrapers and behind the boardroom doors, Katz puts BigLaw on trial.
"Fast, sharp and utterly compulsive, The Boys' Club hit me right where I live in the most satisfying way possible. Erica Katz writes a wildly juicy story of office politics with the rare warmth and empathy of a true insider."
Fans of books and films like The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Our Little Racket will be entertained by the high-powered hijinks at Klasko & Fitch. . . . Nodding to current events, Katz provides a convincing argument for the power of #MeToo while showing that many industries still have a long way to go. . . . With this fascinating look inside the skyscrapers and behind the boardroom doors, Katz puts BigLaw on trial.
2020-05-18
The perils and pleasures—if that’s the right word—of a high-powered young woman working as a first-year associate at a major Manhattan law firm.
One of the key sentences in this debut novel is in the author bio on the last page: “Erica Katz is the pseudonym for a graduate of Columbia Law School who began her career at a major Manhattan law firm.” Another is in the acknowledgments: “To everyone who sees ugly parts of themselves in these characters and wonders if I’m writing about them, I’m not. (But I am…).” Clearly the story of Alexandra Vogel’s life at Klasko & Fitch is grounded in experience and first-hand observation. It’s an intense, disturbing #MeToo story that takes the significant risk of making its main character neither innocent nor completely likable. The book opens with an excerpt from a transcript of a New York Supreme Court trial. The defendant is Gary Kaplan, whom we will come to know as the firm’s most important, powerful, and wealthy client. What the charge is, or exactly why Alex is called to testify in such detail about her experiences at the firm, will not be clear until very late in the book. Before that, we go with Alex on the wild ride that is an associate’s first year as she tries to impress the bigwigs in order to “match” with a desirable department. Towering above them all is Mergers and Acquisitions—the best, brightest, toughest, most important—so naturally Alex, a mega-achiever whose accomplishments include a world record in girls junior swimming, sets her sights on it. Almost immediately the furiously competitive situation changes her into something of a monster. Multiday work sessions alternate with exorbitant dining, drinking, and drugging, taking quite a toll on her relationships with her boyfriend and her parents. Meanwhile sexual tension is building between her and more powerful colleagues while her relationships with the few women in the firm are…poor. She doesn’t see the situation for what it is until late in the book, when nuance goes out the window; her awakening is rushed and less realistic than what’s gone before.
A knowing, nuanced #MeToo story from the world of corporate law, with juicy The Wolf of Wall Street–type action.