At their New England art school, Paulina and Fran both stand apart from the crowd. Paulina is striking and sexually adventurous, a self-proclaimed queen bee with a devastating mean-girl streak. Fran, with her gorgeous untamed head of curly hair, is quirky, sweet and sexually innocent. An aspiring painter whose potential outstrips her confidence, she floats dreamily through criticism and dance floors alike. On a school trip to Norway, the girls are drawn together, each disarmed by the other's character.
Though their bond is instant and powerful, it's also wracked by complications. When Fran winds up dating one of Paulina's ex-boyfriends, an incensed Paulina becomes determined to destroy the couple, creating a rift that will shape their lives well past their art school days.
Paulina & Fran is the debut novel of a writer with rare insight into the complexities of obsession, friendship, and prickly ever-elusive love. Rachel Glaser has studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and fiction at the UMass-Amherst MFA Program. Her previous books include the story collection, Pee on Water, and Moods, a collection of poetry. In 2013, Glaser received the McSweeney's Amanda Davis Fiction Award.
Recorded On: Monday, October 05, 2015