Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair

Gervais debuts with the charming account of a recent high school graduate who dreams of breaking the gender barrier for tattoo artists on 1985 Long Island. In need of a job, Gina Mulley convinces her older brother, Dominic, to give her an apprenticeship at his tattoo parlor. Dom has just sold 20% of the fledgling business to investor Jeri Harrison, who plans to tap into an upscale market, but the plans are compromised by a vindictive chamber of commerce president, Dom’s lack of faith in Gina, and a romantic relationship between Dom and Jeri. Then Gina meets a young woman named Anna, who visits the shop with her employer, a traveling psychic. Gina and Anna become pen pals and eventually strike up a romantic relationship, and Gina must decide between proving herself in Dom’s shop or following Anna on the road. At times the story feels aimless, but Gervais gets a decent amount of mileage out of body art metaphors, such as her description of a tattoo as “something invisible made visible. A truth you’d kept to yourself that you were finally willing to have in the open, to be seen.” The complex characters in this otherwise patchy bildungsroman will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Chad Luibl, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (June)