First published 2010
Emily Bach runs Veritech at twenty-eight, building her Silicon Valley empire with ruthless precision. Her sister Jess, five years younger, shelves antique volumes in a bookstore and studies philosophy when she's not chaining herself to trees. Emily calculates profit margins while Jess reads cookbook recipes she'll never prepare. Emily dates Jonathan, whose success matches her own ambitions. Jess cycles through boyfriends who disappoint her boss George, though he claims no personal interest in the matter. The sisters move between coasts, their opposing worldviews creating friction at every turn. Emily accumulates wealth through speculation while Jess searches for meaning in dusty first editions. Both women substitute safer pursuits for the real thing. Emily builds virtual fortunes instead of lasting connections. Jess collects old cookbooks rather than cooking actual meals. Their parallel lives raise questions about what matters when everything can be bought, sold, or digitized. The story explores whether authentic love can survive in a world that prizes virtual achievement over human connection.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Silicon Valley, United States
Period: 21st-century
394 pages · Hardcover · The Dial Press