Debut novelist Alison B. Hart’s THE WORK WIFE is a breakneck story about female ambition, privilege and complicity.

Although it is told from the perspectives of three women, the man at the heart of the book is Ted Stabler, a self-made Hollywood mogul and all-around wunderkind nice guy. Ted emerged on the scene with an instant hit of a trilogy called Starfighter. Since then, he has started his own production company after partnering with fellow star producer Jerry Silver for a few years. Silver recently has been revealed to be a serial abuser by the #MeToo movement. Hollywood and the media have satisfied themselves by catching the “bad guy” (as if there is ever just one!) and shining the spotlight on do-gooders like Ted Stabler instead.

Ted has dedicated himself and his image to hiring more women and championing their efforts both in front of and behind the camera. This includes putting an end to sexism and misogyny in the industry and closing the pay gap between men and women. But even someone as beloved as Ted Stabler must have a skeleton or two in his closet, right?

"[I]t is the way that Hart brings life to her themes of ambition and complicity, and the fearlessness with which she attacks Hollywood, that makes her debut novel propulsive, juicy and necessary."

The first “work wife” we meet is Zanne Klein, Ted’s assistant and go-to woman for everything --- from coordinating family trips with the best camping spots and vistas to scheduling his meetings, making sure his snacks are always fully stocked and even ensuring that he gets the best pillows for his sleep style. It’s a thankless job, but it comes with a heightened sense of power and, surprisingly, a hefty salary. She recently has learned that there is an opening for chief of staff. Still climbing back from the depths of her addiction and feeling the need to prove herself, Zanne knows one thing: she will get this job, and she will be the best chief of staff Ted has ever had.

Up next is Phoebe Lee, an up-and-coming filmmaker who was once Ted’s business partner and wife. Now she has been blacklisted from the industry and prevented from making her dream movie, Warrior Bride, which will star and elevate Asian actresses and behind-the-sceners, not to mention give her the glory she deserves after watching Ted’s career take off on some of her own creative inputs. The recent downfall of Jerry Silver, the man who made her life hell before she left the industry, means that she stands a real chance at having her moment, but she’ll need Ted’s help finding the necessary backing.

Last but not least is Ted’s real wife, Holly. Holly comes from a meager background and prides herself on being a woman of the people, someone who can really say she has been there and gets it. But even so, a decade of being married to one of Hollywood’s most powerful and richest moguls has skewed her understanding of and approach to the world. When a job listing for the couple’s chief of staff goes viral, Holly has to wonder if they have become a joke or if they really are still in touch with reality. With Zanne eyeing the position and Phoebe making a dramatic entrance into their lives, Holly must reckon with the ways that she and Ted have been complicit in the misogyny, abuse and overstepping of women in the industry all along.

Told over the course of a single day, a career-making conference and a jaw-dropping party, THE WORK WIFE successfully demolishes the glittery facade of Hollywood and exposes some of the rotten foundations underneath. While this is a #MeToo story in every sense, what makes the book stand out is that it is less about the Weinsteins of the world and more about the people who watch them abuse and blacklist women, while doing and saying nothing. Hart doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of sexual abuse and assault in the industry, but she reminds us that privilege and compliance have their roles as well, and how these powers are used are often far more insidious than we realize.

While I loved that the novel focused on three different women, each with their own relationship to Ted Stabler and their motivations for sticking by him, I found the characters to be oddly flat given the seriousness of the issues they were facing. It’s easiest to root for Phoebe, who has lost the most and still has the most to lose. But even so, I wanted to see more of her outside of Ted and her tragic relationship to Hollywood.

That said, it is the way that Hart brings life to her themes of ambition and complicity, and the fearlessness with which she attacks Hollywood, that makes her debut novel propulsive, juicy and necessary.