Nothing Special

More about the book

Set in 1966 New York City, this debut novel follows seventeen-year-old Mae, who lives in a dilapidated apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. Disenchanted with her high school peers and the sleazy men she encounters, Mae drops out and receives an unexpected job offer: she becomes a typist for the iconic artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is crafting an unconventional novel by recording conversations with his famous friends, and Mae, alongside other girls, is tasked with transcribing these tapes. She quickly forms a bond with Shelley, and together they embark on a surreal journey at the edges of the countercultural movement. As they attend parties and explore their womanhood and sexuality, Mae's life seems to transform. However, her growing obsession with the tapes and detachment from her own reality force her to confront the delicate boundary between art and voyeurism. Mae must navigate her identity amidst the tumult of the sixties, making this a sharp coming-of-age story about friendship, independence, and the complexities of art and self-discovery.