The Answers

In Catherine Lacey's second novel, "The Answers," we meet Mary, a young woman in New York City grappling with debilitating pain as she seeks relief through an unconventional treatment called Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia. Financially strained, she takes on a role in the bizarre "Girlfriend Experiment," run by a narcissistic actor searching for the ideal relationship by hiring women to embody various girlfriend personas. As Mary becomes the "emotional girlfriend," she navigates the complexities of human connection amidst a chaotic and self-absorbed world. With Lacey's distinctive prose, the novel offers a captivating blend of plot and ideas that resonate on both personal and universal levels.