The Confidence Woman

There’s something delicious about a transgressive woman, and debut novelist Sophie Quick’s creation, Chrissie Swales, is particularly delectable – and relatable. In this vivacious satire of contemporary fads and foibles, single mum Chrissie is living a double life as ‘high performance mindset expert’ Dr Ruth Carlisle, charging corporate and influencer wannabes big money for coaching sessions while surreptitiously gathering material with which to later blackmail them. But it’s all in a good cause: Chrissie’s trying to break into Melbourne’s property market, and this is the only way she can see to do it. The online sessions with Dr Ruth are priceless (‘I really want to pursue my passion for night-time nose breathing’, insists one client earnestly), but Quick does more than just mock. She’s an acute observer of both modern manners and human nature, and running beneath her acerbic wit is genuine compassion not only for Chrissie but also the very flawed, very entertaining cast of characters that surrounds her. This is as much the inward journey of Chrissie coming to terms with her own past and its emotional burdens as it is the outward travails of her life as her kooky get-rich-quick scheme starts to unravel. The flashbacks to her childhood are as understated as they are poignant, her relationship with her dad is exquisitely drawn, and I’m sure it’s not just me constantly looking around trying to figure out what exactly the rules of this game called ‘life’ are. Quick is also a dab hand with plot. The fact that Chrissie’s careful but amateur efforts at extortion will go pear-shaped is completely unsurprising. The twists and reverses here, though, are as clever as they are believable. It’s hard to believe this is Quick’s first work of fiction. I can’t wait to see what she does next.