Wrong Way

McNeil (Lurking) portrays the ruthlessness of the gig economy in her intimate debut novel. Teresa, 48, has measured her life by her jobs. In her teenage years, she was a department store clerk. Since then, she’s been a bartender, a bank teller, and more. Recently, however, she’s stalled out with a string of unreliable temp jobs. Now, she sleeps on a daybed in a small rural home with her mom. She becomes hopeful that her life will turn around after she’s recruited to work at giant tech company AllOver, whose new rideshare service features driverless cars—or so the public is led to believe. In a mordant twist, it turns out the cars are driven by contractors like Teresa, who operate the vehicle from a secret compartment. As Teresa settles into this bizarre new role, she’s caught between her need for stability and her desire to be recognized for her work. More and more, she loses herself to the memories of past jobs and lost relationships. McNeil skewers the company’s facile corporate promises (“We bridge humanity and enterprise; we shape the digital economy to fit neighborhood-centric needs”), and the satire is all the more cutting when contrasted with the all-too-human story of Teresa. A warm beating heart drives this smart and timely tale. (Nov.)