Stop Me If You've Heard This One

Cherry Hendricks makes a living being funny, though the work behind her clown persona is rarely glamorous. Between performances around Orlando and shifts in an aquarium shop, she juggles money, family judgments and a messy romantic life. Meeting Margot the Magnificent seems to offer a different model of success. The older lesbian magician has professional connections, confidence and an appeal Cherry finds difficult to resist. Mentorship and desire begin sharing the same space as Cherry develops a more daring act. Kristen Arnett's novel follows an entertainer deciding how much she is willing to give another person, and what remains hers when artistic ambition becomes entwined with the wish to be loved.