Bitter Texas Honey

An aspiring novelist seeks fulfillment and attempts to come to terms with her past in Whitaker’s witty debut. At the University of Miami, Joan West resisted her evangelical Christian upbringing in Texas, growing out her armpit hair, kissing girls, and developing an Adderall addiction. Now, 23 and clean for three years, she enjoys right-wing talk radio and embraces traditional gender roles. She spends her days interning for a conservative legislator in Austin and her evenings at a coffee shop, where she strikes up a friendship with Roberto, the barista, who is also a writer. In an effort to impress Roberto and after seeking counsel from her troubled cousin Wyatt, she decides to write a love story. For research purposes only, she begins dating Vince, a 30-year-old music producer and student at her womanizing father’s for-profit trade school. Simultaneously, she pursues a fling with Roberto, only to have both relationships go in unexpected directions. Further complicating matters is her Adderall relapse and abuse of painkillers, a crisis involving Wyatt, and her father’s disastrous relationships. Though Joan often comes across as superficial, Whitaker adds depth to the characterization as she unpacks Joan’s family history. This portrait of a wannabe artist as a confused young woman is compulsively readable. Agent: Jin Auh, Wylie Agency. (Apr.)

Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly stated that protagonist Joan West attended the University of Texas.