by John O'Hara
First published 1979
Gloria Wandrous moves through New York's social circles as a call girl, her life a careful balance of survival and desire. When she becomes involved with a married man, the relationship pulls her deeper into a world where love and money intersect in dangerous ways. Gloria navigates the expectations of wealthy clients and the reality of her circumstances, but her affair threatens to unravel everything she has built. The married man represents both escape and entrapment, offering glimpses of a different life while binding her to patterns that may destroy her. As their relationship intensifies, Gloria must confront the true cost of the choices she has made and the limited options society offers women like her.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, moral-ambiguity, social-commentary
Setting: New York
Period: 20th-century
224 pages · Paperback · Panther
Content warnings: sexual-content