"Casey is a stand-up philosopher posing the most vexing questions about human existence while satirizing the materialistic ways we find to hold our despair at a distance....Casey shows off her strengths:   she's funny and inventive...and she empathizes with the least of her characters...taking a dazzling narrative dare."

-- New York Times Book Review

*****

"A startling debut. [Casey's] fresh voice emerges like a song that's bound to be a hit."

-- The Virginia Quarterly Review

*****

"In the category of novels about thirty-something women who grow disillusioned over the state of their careers and love lives, Maud Casey has a surprisingly bright voice...razor-sharp perception and wit....Casey's ability to paint pictures with humor and disarming detail make the book a delight to read...."

-- The Women's Review of Books

*****

 "Casey has written a complex, mature, and compelling novel."

-- The Chicago Tribune

*****

"Isabelle...is like that crazy, charismatic friend you had in high school: You never know what she'll do next, but it's sure to be exciting--and you definitely want to stick around for the ride...Isabelle is so vivacious that even though she's utterly confused about her future, we know she'll turn out just fine."

-- Redbook

*****

William Morrow book description:
Isabelle, a woman in her thirties without any of the trappings of a grown-up life, has just been fired from her job at a San Francisco phone company. Returning to the midwestern suburb of her childhood, Standardsville, Illinois, she contends with her dating single mother, a neighbor who once appeared on The Honeymooners, and a high school boyfriend. She also becomes a mystery shopper for a temp agency, posing as a variety of potential tenants for newly built suburban communities to access their exclusive services. Enchanted by the possibilities of disguise, Isabelle spins a web of lies that keeps the world at a distance until she unearths long-kept secrets that force her to rethink everything she thought she knew.