It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship―after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly. Georgia, another dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation, gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons―and the killer. Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?
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0**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Actual rating: 3.5
Marie Rutkoski's adult debut, Real Easy, delves into the backstage of a strip club. The story is told in multiple perspectives and discusses the day to day happenings of the club as well as an ongoing double homicide investigation.
This novel has been advertised as a psychological thriller, which is concerning to me. I feel like this book is quite possibly being mismarketed and I hope that this book finds its audience. Typically, in a thriller genre, you expect to have an overarching sense of tension and dread concerning a possibility of something bad. This book had very brief moments of tension, but they did not thread throughout the book. I would argue that this book is a literary crime novel.
The police procedure in this book is shockingly well done and well researched. Likewise, the backstage intricacies of dancer life was handled with delicacy and deliberate care. After learning of Marie Rutkoski's background as a dancer and her family on the police force, it seems evident that she really put in the work in ensuring she got these details right.
What seemed paramount in this book, which is set in the 90's but whose message carries to today, is the impact of being somehow other in the world. Whether that impact is by being a Person of Color, queer, intersex, female, or some different variety of other, those things impact life drastically and establishes a certain expectation of violence or of opposition. These themes are strong in this novel and the exploration really is reminiscent of literary fiction. The book also happens to surround the murder investigation, which is why I stand firm in my classification of this book as a literary crime novel.
Unfortunately, I do not tend to enjoy literary fiction. I may not have picked this book up had I known what I would be getting, or I would have entered the book with appropriate expectations for what it was. I recognize fully that Rutkoski did a great job with this book, but people who are expecting or seeking a thriller may find themselves disappointed as I did.
I have enjoyed my previous reads of Rutkoski's works and will continue to read her works in the future. While not to my taste, it is my hope that this book finds its audience.
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