In suburban Chicago, Ill., two women work side by side as medical receptionists. Jillian, Halle Butler's debut novel, traces both the unraveling life of one of those women and the other woman's delight in her office partner's downfall. When wounds in each of their lives open, both women are bound together in a downward spiral of shame, regret and sorrow, eventually discovering renewal.
Jillian decides that the one thing missing in her life is a puppy for her son, but then her money problems worsen. Taking care of her son, her new pet and her career prove too much for her. Her strained relationships at church crumble when she calls in every favor she can. Lies she tells to maintain her image as a God-fearing Christian spin out of control. All of this excites Megan, who always loathed Jillian's naïve optimism, but Megan's boyfriend is uncomfortable with how much she enjoys the other woman's struggle. Megan's friends soon start to pull away from her spiteful vortex, and the lies she tells herself to cope with these betrayals begin to parallel Jillian's in unexpected ways.
Butler weaves together two very different lives, seamlessly volleying one character's successes off another's failures. In this spare book, the experiences of these women continue to bounce off one another until the distance between self-doubt and self-confidence is quickly diminished. Jillian's misplaced goodwill shines an uncomfortable light on Megan's unfulfilled life, while Megan's youth and opportunity, in turn, chip at Jillian's idealism. Finally, both realize that the hardest lies to maintain are the lies they tell themselves. --Joshua Potter