Spin

The latest acid tale of people selling their souls to a devil in Prada comes from a former New York publicist. Debut novelist Rave plunges his naïve Midwestern hero, Taylor Green, into the sweet-and-sordid world of New York publicist Jennie Weinstein, whose gift for spin has elevated her to the top rung of her profession. This, apparently, means endless nightclub openings, coke-snorting, sexual escapades, personal betrayals and celebrity gossip-mongering. Despite being used as Jennie's flunky in situations that range from illegal to embarrassing, Taylor is hooked. In a series of incidents that entertain through sheer outrage, he alternately succumbs and stands up to his boss while losing much, though not all, of his integrity, and the ultimate battle between them takes on truly hellish proportions. Taylor's awareness of his own susceptibility adds at least an inch of depth, in contrast to Jennie's unrelieved depravity. With its inside views of a corrupt yet glamorous lifestyle and its witty tone, the book is sure to please fans of the sub-genre.