EVERYTHING’S FINE, is a novel by Cecilia Rabess that explores the complexities of interpersonal relationships and political beliefs. The story follows the life of Jess, a young Black analyst who joins Goldman Sachs after graduating college. Although Jess is from a modest background, her entire young adult life has been defined by the opulence of the people around her. In the book’s early pages, she has an awakening to the reality of the lifestyle of her colleagues.
As Jess navigates her professional life, she reconnects with Josh, her former classmate. Josh is a white conservative, not typically someone Jess would associate with, but their friendship grows as they work together, and eventually, they fall in love. Josh is fiscally conservative and socially liberal, which causes issues in their relationship. Jess comes to the realization that, despite loving Josh, he is unable or unwilling to see things from her perspective or anyone else’s.
As their relationship develops, Jess’s career also experiences ups and downs. She faces the challenge of balancing her ambition to accumulate wealth and stability with her desire to uphold her ethics and the truth. She cannot confide her woes to her beloved father, who believes everything is going swimmingly.
The novel concludes in the lead-up to the 2016 election, highlighting the incompatibility of their opposing political beliefs. Josh and Jess have an explosive argument about a Make America Great Again hat, leading Josh to declare that they’re the same. Jess grapples with the realization that she has been ignoring the injustices of the system all along.
“Everything’s Fine” is a thought-provoking novel that explores the complexity of political beliefs and its impact on relationships. Cecilia Rabess has skillfully crafted the dynamics between all the characters, offering the readers no easy answers to the ethical dilemmas presented.
Angela Lashbrook is a writer whose work has appeared in The Guardian, Slate, Vice and The Times.
EVERYTHING’S FINE | By Cecilia Rabess | 326 pp. | Simon & Schuster | $27.99
