A quick read is a compliment afforded to a book that is taut and compelling--so much so that you have to finish the book in a day or two. I'd put Katie Arnoldi's Chemical Pink in this category. Its synopsis is thus:
Half worm, half weasel, Charles Worthington is a filthy rich misfit who, living in Southern California, preys on aspiring female bodybuilders by promising to "sponser" them, to take them to the "higher level," so that they can become professional. His latest prey is Aurora, a poor single mother who surrenders to Charles' "program" and in doing so reveals the novel's theme about the way women are exploited and dehumanized by technology (steroids, hormones, other drugs)and male fetishes. In many ways this compelling novel reminds me of Ira Levin's masterpiece The Stepford Wives.
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