Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau

When I was 24 years old, I worked at Crate and Barrel in a suburb north of Chicago. One of my responsibilities was to help young women with their bridal registry. This was to me, and still is, my dream job. It was filled with romance, love, drama and Calphalon pans. There is something about your first real job that, hopefully for most people, will always feel magical. This is the landscape of "Shopgirls" by Jessica Anya Blau. Meet Zippy, a 19-year-old young woman working in the dress department of I.Magnin around 1985. Five days a week Zippy gets to walk thought the employee entrance of one of San Francisco's finest department stores. Zippy's home life, however, is far from glamorous. Buying her own clothings at the Salvation Army, and growing up with a single mom and her partner Howard, is a life low on laughs and finances. However, she has always been a girl who dreams of greater things. I.Magnin represents an opportunity for new friends, a new family, and a priceless education on how to be an adult. Zippy has a knack for helping women find the best designer dress to fit their style. I love Blau's writing, and adored this book as much as her previous novel "Mary Jane." Both novels represent coming-of-age stories, with the main character learning how to blend a complicated biological family with a found, treasured family. I didn't want "Shopgirls" to end, and I can't wait to read more of Blau's work. I wish I.Magnin was still here, too. To buy this book on Amazon click here.