{"product_id":"the-plunge-original","title":"The Plunge (Original)","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A New York cool girl novel (in the vein of Emma Cline)... a delicious escape and a perfect beach read. Highly recommend!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--\u003c\/em\u003eElin Hilderbrand, #1 \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling author \n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Spiked with jealousy, obsession and manipulation... this spicy psychosexual drama...walks into a labyrinth of intrigue... explor[ing] themes of sexual intoxication, cruelty and romantic triangulation.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"If you want a glam, racy New York City novel with elements of dark romance and thriller, take \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge \u003c\/em\u003ethis summer.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Time Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A darkly hedonistic roman à clef... against a backdrop of hedonism and glamour spanning Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Lake Como. Liv's path to reinvention is messy, unruly, and nonlinear...with themes of desire, betrayal, and the mistakes of the past.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--The Hollywood Reporter\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Few things are as transporting as a juicy thriller set somewhere fabulous. (See: \n\u003cem\u003eThe Talented Mr. Ripley\u003c\/em\u003e.) This season's book club winner: \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e, Lila Raicek's gripping debut, which flits between Manhattan and Lake Como... This is the smart, sexy, scandalous read of the season.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Town \u0026amp; Country\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"In the tradition of [Joan] Didion, \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e explores the liminal space of life after tragedy.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Bustle \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A web of erotic intrigue, betrayal and NSFW texts sent from under dinner tables.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Wall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A tantalizing thriller written in nuanced and luminous prose, \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge \u003c\/em\u003eis a deep dive into loss, longing, and the price of passion. Lila writes with a singular power that comes from her understanding of the twists and turns of the complexities of female desire. I was immersed from the first to the last page.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Daphne Merkin, author of \n\u003cem\u003e22 Minutes of Unconditional Love \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge \u003c\/em\u003eis a tremendous debut novel--gripping, enthralling and sneakily profound--written with great brio and assuredness.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--William Boyd, bestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003eAny Human Heart\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\"The Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e is a sophisticated thriller that envelops the reader in secrets--secrets that stimulate and alleviate the narrator's fear and inertia. But the strain of pretenses and the constant adaptation they require lead to dangerous entanglements here. The narrator, adept at transforming suffering into pleasure, reminds us that the past is a kind of prophecy.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Susanna Moore, author of \n\u003cem\u003eThe Lost Wife\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A startling and smoldering debut that thrums with suspense. \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e is a brilliantly crafted study of desire, deception, and the traumatic edges of womanhood that pulls you into its emotional undertow. Raicek will leave you gasping for air long after the final sentence.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Christina McDowell, author of \n\u003cem\u003eThe Cave Dwellers \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The it girl novel of the summer. Like a cult euro-chic thriller...seductive, disquieting, and reveals the dark undercurrents roiling beneath its gleaming surfaces. Raicek writes with a playwright's propulsive sense of dramatic tension that can make you laugh one page and cry the next--a stunning new voice.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Marisa Meltzer, \n\u003cem\u003eVanity Fair \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge \u003c\/em\u003ehas a villa full of the most scintillating and malevolently eroticized characters since the cunning aristocrats of \n\u003cem\u003e Les Liaisons Dangereuses\u003c\/em\u003e. Raicek's literary debut is thrilling, hypnotic, and whip-smart.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Griffin Dunne, author of \n\u003cem\u003eThe Friday Afternoon Club\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Acclaimed playwright Raicek's debut novel is a twisty, tense psychological thriller, tantalizingly sexy and explosively unnerving.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Booklist\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A lush erotic-entanglement novel.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Library Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Raicek polishes her prose to a fine gloss....a wildly sensational experience. Full of artifice, it pays tribute to \"the razor's edge between desire and doom.\" A tantalizing romantic triangle with more than a hint of menace.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Playwright Raicek debuts a seductive literary thriller... The plot is propulsive, and Raicek keeps the reader guessing at the characters' true intentions.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Publishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A jet-set thriller centering around a dangerous liaison... It's a beach read-- if the sand were black, and the glamorous woman two towels over was crying behind oversized Prada sunglasses.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Avenue Magazine \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Raicek examines desire (explicitly), grief (without sentimentality), obsession (and why it is often misunderstood in women), and betrayal in all their guises. The result is a propulsive thriller.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Tertulia\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e's psychosexual intrigue makes it an apt binge read, but the novel deals in less easily packaged emotional territory: what regaining trust--in oneself and others--looks like after trauma, how cycles of denial and avoidance register in a body, where the fear of feeling numb will lead you.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e--Cultured Magazine \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTHE NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e EDITORS' CHOICE\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e- \u003cem\u003eTHE NEW YORK TIMES '\u003c\/em\u003eSIZZLING NEW SUMMER THRILLER' PICK - \u003cem\u003eTIME MAGAZINE'S\u003c\/em\u003e BEST NEW BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER - A BELLETRIST BOOK PICK - \u003cem\u003eTOWN \u0026amp; COUNTRY'S\u003c\/em\u003e BOOK CLUB PICK \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\"A New York cool girl novel (in the vein of Emma Cline)...a delicious escape and a perfect beach read. Highly recommend!\" --Elin Hilderbrand, #1 \u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling author\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"\u003c\/em\u003eThis is the smart, sexy, scandalous read of the season.\" --\u003cem\u003eTown \u0026amp; Country\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\"If you want a glam, racy New York City novel with elements of dark romance and thriller, take \u003cem\u003eThe Plunge \u003c\/em\u003ewith Lila Raicek.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e--\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTime Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA searing suspense novel that follows a grieving young woman as she is pulled into a seductive love triangle. As secrets from her past begin to resurface, she is forced to question who's lying, who she can trust--and whether, in the end, she can trust herself. \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI had become good at hiding things, and most of all from myself. \u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eIn the wake of her fiancé's shocking death, Liv flees to New York where she seeks refuge in the apartment of an old mentor. Broken and lonely, she ventures to a party one night and sees him: Damon, her magnetic former neighbor. At his side is Isabel, a beguiling older widow whose presence intrigues and unsettles her. Desperate for escape, Liv is drawn into their charged dynamic and becomes entangled in their dazzling lives. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eBut when an investigative journalist invades their circle, threatening to expose a shattering secret from her past, Liv begins to unravel. She embarks on an all-consuming affair with Damon, complicated by her deepening bond with Isabel. Over the course of one scorching summer - moving from Manhattan to the North Fork to Lake Como - their lives collide in a dangerous game of desire and betrayal that pushes them to an explosive edge. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eSearing, taut, and propulsive, \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e plumbs the depths of obsession and the ravages of grief. Told with razor-sharp prose and emotional precision, it offers an unflinching examination of the deceptions that undo us, and marks the arrival of a resonant and provocative new voice in fiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/01\/2026 pg. 53 (EAN 9780778310600, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780778310600, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780778310600, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/06\/2026 (EAN 9780778310600, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eRaicek, Lila\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLila Raicek is a playwright and screenwriter based in New York. Her hit play \n\u003cem\u003eMy Master Builder \u003c\/em\u003edebuted in London''s West End in 2025, starring Ewan McGregor and Elizabeth Debicki. In television, she previously wrote on \n\u003cem\u003eYounger \u003c\/em\u003eand \n\u003cem\u003eGossip Girl\u003c\/em\u003e. She holds a BA in creative writing from Barnard College, and an MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. \n\u003cem\u003eThe Plunge\u003c\/em\u003e is her first novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Park Row","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496207941910,"sku":"9780778310600","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780778310600.jpg?v=1783057573","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-plunge-original","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}