The Knockoff: A Novel
By: Lucy Sykes
Rating: 5 of 5
My knowledge of the fashion industry frankly is limited to watching a few seasons of “Project Runway”, the entirety of “Ugly Betty” and both reading the book and watching the movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” Before choosing this book, “The Knockout”, I wondered if I would glean much from reading it. My trepidation was completely unfounded as the book is as much about office politics as it is fashion and, unfortunately for me and for most of us, office politics are present in most industries.
The story is about Imogene. She is the editor-in-chief of “Glossy” a well-known and established fashion magazine. She has been on sick leave, recovering from breast cancer, and has just returned to her job. In the six months she has been out, Eve, her assistant from several years before has returned to “Glossy” to take it completely digital.
Eve is now the co-worker from hell. She has gone from a trusted assistant to, in her mind at least, the tech guru of the century. That she has it in for Imogene becomes obvious fairly soon on. It takes Imogene a little longer to see it but once she does, the game is on.
Eve is all too reminiscent of many people I have worked with in the past. She puts herself and her agenda forward and makes others feel stupid or has beens if they happen to disagree with her on any point. Of course, the character is taken over-the-top in the book and that works in this story.
Imogene is a tad more mature at 42 and is having to learn how to re-invent herself in the digital world. While her run-ins with Eve tear down her character, she does rise up to each challenge and learns how to cope with new tech.
The story is very funny but deals with some issues that are not quite so funny. The dialog is crisp and well done. I could see these individuals and they were very believable. I worked in high tech for years and I found the authors true “nerds” (i.e., not Eve) to be individuals I might have worked with.
While the story dealt with a fashion magazine, in the end, it didn’t seem to really be about fashion. It is a story that should appeal to most women and a good deal of men, too. The story ends on a high note and one that felt good and right to me as a reader. I recommend it highly.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
My knowledge of the fashion industry frankly is limited to watching a few seasons of “Project Runway”, the entirety of “Ugly Betty” and both reading the book and watching the movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” Before choosing this book, “The Knockout”, I wondered if I would glean much from reading it. My trepidation was completely unfounded as the book is as much about office politics as it is fashion and, unfortunately for me and for most of us, office politics are present in most industries.