A razor-sharp literary thriller about three women vying for power at a wellness startup, where the cost of ambition might be deadly
One woman’s elixir is another woman’s poison
Rhoda West is Silicon Valley’s favorite female CEO: the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing startup Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Rhoda’s Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical’s secretive lab.
Dani Lang is a “quester,” as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself.
Cecelia Cole is a “quasher.�� She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda’s smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows that the remedies Rhoda sells can’t cure real sickness.
Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the startup. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity?
Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a crime, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder to what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company.
Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of startup culture, Snake Oil is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shining a revealing light on the wellness world.
Genre: Mystery
One woman’s elixir is another woman’s poison
Rhoda West is Silicon Valley’s favorite female CEO: the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing startup Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Rhoda’s Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical’s secretive lab.
Dani Lang is a “quester,” as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself.
Cecelia Cole is a “quasher.�� She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda’s smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows that the remedies Rhoda sells can’t cure real sickness.
Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the startup. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity?
Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a crime, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder to what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company.
Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of startup culture, Snake Oil is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shining a revealing light on the wellness world.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"A lush, attentive portrait of a culture where botanicals are revolutionary, nourishment is a superpower, and wellness is one click away, Snake Oil purrs with abundance and delivers the uneasy thrill of buying and selling ourselves on every page." - Barbara Bourland
"Snake Oil sheds its light and shining skin to reveal deep and resonant truths about modern life. Dimberg's prose glows with the power of a thousand serums. I underlined the hell out of this perfectly timely yet surprisingly timeless gem." - Avery Carpenter Forrey
"A sharp, fun, and wickedly smart examination of female ambition and the constant pursuit of perfection, in a world where perfection is just another illusion to be sold." - Kathy Wang
"Snake Oil sheds its light and shining skin to reveal deep and resonant truths about modern life. Dimberg's prose glows with the power of a thousand serums. I underlined the hell out of this perfectly timely yet surprisingly timeless gem." - Avery Carpenter Forrey
"A sharp, fun, and wickedly smart examination of female ambition and the constant pursuit of perfection, in a world where perfection is just another illusion to be sold." - Kathy Wang
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Kelsey Rae Dimberg's Snake Oil