Merritt Tierce’s debut novel tells the story of a single mother who works as a waitress at a Dallas steakhouse. She’s the opposite of a goody-two-shoes, a self-destructive young woman trying to make it in the world. But once you encounter Marie, you can’t look away. You’ll even root for her. Tierce’s prose is as bold as a Sharpie, and whether she’s describing a sexual encounter or a shift at a restaurant, the words pulse on the page.
