Some novels about the professional urban class succeed through the exaggerating alchemy of satire. Others are so sharp and honest about what is (yes) unlikeable in all of us that their realism cuts to the bone. Mechling’s novel about three women who met in magazine publishing isn’t nearly as meaty as, say, The Emperor’s Children, but it needn’t be. Geraldine has fallen on hard times after a breakup, while Sunny has found an enviable if shallow life, and Rachel has achieved a seemingly happy medium. All are in a position to help each other, if only they can get over their bullshit.