CHEAT DAY

A diet-obsessed woman has an affair and reevaluates her life.

In Stratman’s debut novel, perpetual dieter and job quitter Kit embarks on an extreme diet—and an affair. At 34, Kit is living in her childhood duplex in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with her kind but inattentive husband, David. She works as the general manager of Sweet Cheeks, her sister’s bakery, and is constantly searching for the wellness regimen that will bring her fulfillment. As she embarks on the Radiant Regimen, an ultrastrict 75-day diet, Kit meets Matt—the handsome carpenter hired to build shelves for the bakery—and they quickly begin a passionate affair. The more Kit lies and cheats, the less she eats. Along with stellar characterization, Stratman beautifully (and often with humor) captures the complexities of long-term relationships and the ways deprivation and indulgence are intricately intertwined. The novel explores the trappings of diet culture in nuanced and honest ways. Kit, who has always believed a smaller body would bring her true happiness, realizes the very thing she’s chasing is contributing to her angst—but she can't bring herself to stop or break the cycle. In the thick of her affair and while on a rare night out with David (at a Radiant-compliant restaurant), Kit thinks about how her past self would marvel at what she has, yet she’s still miserable: “Forcing myself and my husband to skip the wine, to order an inferior version of the good food. Nothing’s ever enough, and you never get away from yourself.” The ending is less explosive than introspective, but it feels true to the novel. Whether readers love Kit or hate her, there’s something wonderful in the way she finally begins to embrace her life and put effort into her work and relationships instead of just her fad diets.

A funny, wise, and winning debut.