Isabel Kaplan

For fans of Sweetbitter and Severance, a compulsively readable debut novel about a young woman trying to succeed in Hollywood without selling her soul From the outside, the highly driven narrator in Isabel Kaplan's debut novel appears the vision of empowerment. She has just graduated from a prestigious college and landed an entry-level position at XBC, a leading TV network. The daughter of a prominent feminist attorney, she grew up outside the industry, more well-versed in implicit bias and gender dynamics than box office hits. At first, the nonstop, high adrenaline work environment at XBC motivates her to try harder. She takes on extra script coverage, masters administrative drudgeries, and devotes her early mornings to cult-like fitness classes that fellow assistants swear by. But as she climbs the ranks, she confronts the harsh realities of creating change from the inside. Her points only get attention when echoed by a male colleague. Employees gossip about who XBC's female president must have slept with. She hears whispers of abusive bosses and even sexual misconduct. Her personal and professional lives collide as she turns to her mother for support, uncovering industry secrets that will permanently alter both XBC and her future. With blisteringly sharp prose and a darkly humorous voice, NSFW is an unflinching exploration of the grey area between empowerment and complicity, and a searing, unforgettable portrait of what success costs in a patriarchal world.

A Novel

NSFW

You are young, ambitious, college-educated and a feminist. Your new job is in television. To climb the ranks, you do whatever it takes- - Pull all-nighters - Lean on your powerful mother's contacts - Stay in shape at cult-like fitness classes - Secretly wear your boss's fitbit to improve his stepcount - and his temper You know the rules of this world. When someone senior tells you how pretty you look, you smile and thank him - and make a mental note never to wear that dress alone with him again. When whispers start to circle that your office might have 'a bit of a rape problem,' and your close friend confesses her own unsettling encounter, you know there is plenty to gain from staying silent, and all too much to lose through speaking out. And of course, you know your own boss is one of the good guys . . . don't you? With blisteringly sharp prose and a darkly humorous voice, Not Safe For Work is an unflinching exploration of the grey area between empowerment and complicity, and a searing, unforgettable portrait of what success costs in a patriarchal world.

Not Safe for Work

“An intoxicating exploration of male-dominated workplaces . . . NSFW is gripping, with a lot to unpack, making it excellent book-club fodder.” —TIME, Best Books of July 2022 Blisteringly sharp and hypersmart—meet Isabel Kaplan’s searing debut novel about a young woman trying to succeed in Hollywood without selling her soul. From the outside, the unnamed protagonist in NSFW appears to be the vision of success. She has landed an entry-level position at a leading TV network that thousands of college grads would kill for. And sure, she has much to learn. The daughter of a prominent feminist attorney, she grew up outside the industry. But she’s resourceful and hardworking. What could go wrong? At first, the high adrenaline work environment motivates her. Yet as she climbs the ranks, she confronts the reality of creating change from the inside. Her points only get attention when echoed by male colleagues; she hears whispers of abuse and sexual misconduct. Her mother says to keep her head down until she’s the one in charge—a scenario that seems idealistic at best, morally questionable at worst. When her personal and professional lives collide, threatening both the network and her future, she must decide what to protect: the career she’s given everything for or the empowered woman she claims to be. Fusing page-turning prose with dark humor and riveting commentary on the truths of starting out professionally, Isabel Kaplan’s NSFW is an unflinching exploration of the gray area between empowerment and complicity. The result is a stunning portrait of what success costs in today’s patriarchal world, asking us: Is it ever worth it?

Becky Miller lives in the best neighborhood, goes to school with the children of movie stars, and has her psychiatrist on speed dial. She may live in the City of Angels, but this sixteen-year-old's life is far from perfect. By day, Becky navigates the halls of one of L.A.'s most elite schools, where the mean girls are a special breed of mean, and at night, she deals with sparring parents, a grandmother who is man-crazy, and a younger brother, Jack, who answers only to J-zizzy. As Becky's life comes crashing down around her, she struggles to put it back together and learn to grow up while trying to stay sane. Isabel Kaplan dishes the dirt on the children of Hollywood's elite—from Spago delivered to campus at lunch and shrinks who dole out psychotropic drugs as though they're candy to parent-free parties at the Four Seasons—the lives of Becky and her creator, Isabel Kaplan, are like no other, and yet strangely, just like everyone's.

Hancock Park

Pre-order this compulsively readable debut novel about a young woman trying to succeed in Hollywood without selling her soul - perfect for fans of Sweetbitter, My Dark Vanessa and Exciting Times 'A frank study of the psychological, and at times literal, gymnastics that are required of striving women.' RAVEN LEILANI, bestselling author of Luster 'Frank, funny and unputdownable' CLAIRE MESSUD You are young, ambitious, college-educated and a feminist. Your new job is in television. To climb the ranks, you do whatever it takes: - Pull all-nighters - Lean on your powerful mother's contacts - Stay in shape at cult-like fitness classes - Secretly wear your boss's fitbit to improve his stepcount - and his temper You know the rules of this world. When someone senior tells you how pretty you look, you smile and thank him - and make a mental note never to wear that dress alone with him again. When whispers start to circle that your office might have 'a bit of a rape problem,' and your close friend confesses her own unsettling encounter, you know there is plenty to gain from staying silent, and all too much to lose through speaking out. And of course, you know your own boss is one of the good guys . . . don't you? With blisteringly sharp prose and a darkly humorous voice, Not Safe For Work is an unflinching exploration of the grey area between empowerment and complicity, and a searing, unforgettable portrait of what success costs in a patriarchal world.

Isabel Kaplan

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