Sweetbitter

Twenty-two-year-old Tess finds work as a "backwaiter" at a renowned restaurant in midtown Manhattan after just moving to New York City. This is the tale of her education as she makes her way through the turbulent, fascinating, and harsh life she has chosen. It takes place in dive bars and elegant dining rooms, among champagne and cocaine, love and passion. As her cravings for food and drink, as well as for information, adventure, and a sense of belonging, become stronger, Tess is unable to resist being entangled in a seductively dark triangle of love. In Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danler skillfully and realistically captures the fast-paced, high-stress world of the restaurant business. She also captures the limitless opportunities, the unfathomable beauty, and the cruelty and fragility of adolescence in New York.