Told over nine charged days, Sheer is the gripping tale of a controversial beauty mogul’s insatiable ambition and the slippery ground between empowerment and abuse of power.
The book’s setting is undeniably compelling (if not entirely unique) and Lawrence’s eye for detail and industry knowledge, surely gleaned during her tenures at both Women’s Wear Daily and W magazine, feel spot-on for the period. Yet for all the novel’s breadth, it lacks depth in the places where it might have been most exhilarating and original ... We are offered little sense — other than a fairly standard-issue argument with her parents that leads to a near-total estrangement — of the collective forces that created someone as complex and ultimately self-destructive as Maxine Thomas. I found myself wanting to better understand this inscrutable woman. But maybe that is the point? As the novel rounds to its inevitable conclusion, we come to realize that our narrator has lost her way, stumbling off the path of 'unlikable' and landing firmly in 'unreliable' territory.
Unlike many novels about glamorous pursuits, this one doesn’t indulge in long paeans to luxury; each scene describing Max’s expertise or negotiations has a thematic purpose, driving forward industry misogyny, homophobia, and desperate attempts to fill an early void. Tightly plotted and full of insider detail, the novel shimmers with complicated truths about women, beauty, and betrayal.
In the engrossing sophomore effort from Lawrence (Ellipses), an entrepreneur navigates power dynamics in the beauty industry ... It’s a well-crafted tale of a striver’s fall from grace.
