Trading Dreams

A case of mistaken identity by a doo-wop-loving Wall Street banker expecting to hire "an aggressive young bull" triggers a bizarre series of events in this biting yet choppy novel. Set in New York City during the collapse of the U.S. economy and the rise of Occupy Wall Street, the book alternates narrative voices between Richard, who thought he was hiring sexy career woman Jerry as a favor for a friend, and Jerry, a sex-addicted transplant from New Orleans with no connection whatsoever to Richard's friend. Richard soon realizes his mistake, but Jerry's increasingly quirky and mysterious behavior becomes her boss's obsession. Meanwhile, as her social life spirals out of control through a series of "experiments with men," Jerry remains trapped in a hostile work environment at Global American Bank. She eventually takes the fall for signing bogus mortgage notes, but gets her revenge. Morin (Sazzae) is more convincing as the troubled but likeable Jerry than as the money-minded Richard%E2%80%93even if the character's frequent "I move for men"/"Men are irrelevant" refrains wear thin%E2%80%93and she easily juxtaposes vivid scenes at a kinky sex club on the outskirts of Greenwich Village with references to the bursting economic bubble and the federal government's bank bailout. (Aug.)