Summary

In Chapter 1, Serle begins the novel from the first-person perspective of the narrator, Dannie Kohan. In the present tense, 28-year-old Dannie wakes up on December 15th, 2020. This day, she has a job interview at Wachtell, the most prestigious corporate law firm in New York City. She explains that she has planned her life precisely to get to this interview.

Her live-in boyfriend, David Rosen who works in finance, wishes her good luck and reminds her of their dinner reservation to celebrate the interview. Dannie believes David will propose to her, which she has also accounted for in her life plan.

Dannie gets a call from Bella, her life-long whimsical best friend who wishes her good luck from Paris.

Dannie goes to her interview, which she has meticulously prepared for. She gets asked the “proverbial” question: “where do you see yourself in five years?” (10). She...