Our Minneapolis book club took to Stephanie Danler’s latest novel and discovered themes of growing up, and how bitter sweet it can be.
by Claire Butwinick
photos by Kaylen Ralph
Gathered around a table adorned with mini dark chocolates and fragrant dried lavender, The Riveter book clubbers discussed Stephanie Danler’s summer novel, Sweetbitter, for our third book club meeting in collaboration with Anthropologie at the West End. Conversation was never dull as readers dissected the protagonist, Tess’, fictional journey through New York City that reflected the universal tale of becoming an adult and finding comfort in your own skin.
Sweetbitter navigated modern New York through Tess’s youthful eyes as she strived to master her waitressing job at a high class restaurant, getting along with her co-workers, and evidently falling for the bad-boy bartender. The novel took us on a whirlwind trip through her risky adventures, and we struggled to watch her optimism and naïveté vanish as she tried to blend in with the crowd. Although Tess’s story took the New York experience to different heights, Danler’s unique writing style made Tess relatable to every reader who is (or remembers being) a young adult. In fact, throughout our discussion, book clubbers didn’t hesitate to chime in with their restaurant horror stories and memories of their first time living in The Big Apple that reminded them of Tess’ experience.
Danler’s deliberate strategy to make Tess relatable meant omitting many descriptions of her appearance and wardrobes throughout the novel. This allowed interpretations to run wild, and posed a fun challenge for our Anthropologie clothing experts when dressing her. They decided to stick with a “uniform” theme to match Tess’s chameleon personality that molded to her co-worker’s off-duty style and the classic New York dress code. Dressed in a simple white tee, denim, leather jacket, and a swipe of bright red lipstick, Tess’s go-to look was basic and minimalist, and allowed us to envision the young adult in all of us.
Missed this book club session? Have no fear! The Riveter’s next book club meeting will be September 21st as we chat about, Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. The novel begins in 18th Century Ghana and follows the lives of two half sisters who grew up in different villages follows their parallel stories as becomes married to an Englishman, while the other is sent to work on a plantation in America. Homegoing details the long lasting impacts of environment and class circumstances well into the Civil War and jazz ages as the girls story resonates through future generations. Sound like something you’d be into? You can email WestEndMinnPS@anthropologie.com to sign up!
Claire Butwinick is an intern with The Riveter. She recently moved out West to study journalism at The University of Washington – Seattle. Claire loves singing loudly, funky sunglasses, and all things iridescent. Check out what she’s up to on Instagram.
Kaylen is The Riveter’s cofounder, editorial development director and brand director. She works as a personal stylist for Anthropologie. Follow her on Instagram @kaylenralph for books, fashion and a lot of content blending those two subjects. You can also find her on Twitter at @kaylenralph.
