Final Demand

In this thought-provoking novel from Moggach (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), 32-year-old accountant Natalie’s life is not what she thought it would be. She hates her dead-end job, her boyfriend recently left her, and she can’t afford to live on her own, even in her dumpy neighborhood. So she hatches a plan to embezzle money from the phone company where she works. She rationalizes that she will only take small sums, not enough for anyone to notice. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Chloe, another young woman at a dead end in life sets out for a party with her friends. However, what should have been a night of karaoke and flirting ends in disaster when she realizes her phone call to her father won’t go through. The phone line has been cut off due to a misunderstanding with the phone company, a result of Natalie’s scheme, and Chloe now has no way to get home. This is a slow-burning novel, but Moggach gradually raises the tension throughout. The novel is also notable for its depiction of how our actions affect others, even as it maintains its spot in a moral gray area, and Natalie is a wickedly fascinating character. (June)