going in style

Jada Williams knows style. She can take one glance at someone and know their clothing sizes, can see in an instant what’s wrong with their clothes, and come up with a better look for them in an instant. After film school, she was certain her life would be spent on movie sets, styling the stars and helping to create the make-believe that creates magic on theater screens. And she did make her way to that exact job.

And then it fell through her fingers.

That’s how she ended up at Phoenix, a clothing store at the Glendale Mall. She works there with Lanae, who fronts a punk band on the weekends, and Audrey, who used to work for the government as a hacker. Jada likes her job okay. It pays the bills, lets her live alone and splurge once in a while for her favorite pizza. But it can’t make a dent in her student loans, which hold her down like a weight.

When their boss at the store suddenly dies, the three women are devastated. Richard had been a good boss and a good friend. But a new boss changes everything, especially for Jada, who gets fired. She tries to find another job, but she can’t. She earns some money online, but not enough for those loan payments. And that’s when the Debt Police find her.

They don’t arrest her, but they do beat her badly and leave her laying just outside of the grocery store. She is able to make it back home, but she’s not okay. And when the Debt Police also find Lanae and Audrey and leave them bloodied and bruised, Jada knows that they have to do something. Audrey’s time working for the government means that she knows what to look for, to find where all the debt records are kept. And since Jada doesn’t have a job, she has time to stake out the building and learn about their security.

And then they come up with a plan to wipe out their debt. But not just their debt. They want to wipe out all the student loan debt. Will they be able to pull it off, or will the Debt Police take them down once and for all?

The Payback is a scorching social commentary on race, entitlement, and wealth inequalities. It’s smart, funny, and cutting as it skewers the way student loans turned into a crisis and dives into how that effects those who are trying to pay off the loans and also get ahead in the world. Jada and her friends are intelligent and driven but also beaten down by a corrupted system.

I really liked The Payback, but I also found it hard to read at times. I am also someone who has struggled with student loans for many years (and will for many years to come), so this brought up a lot of feels for me. But I loved these characters and wanted them to see all their dreams come true. I was cheering them on throughout their adventures and hoped they could delete all that debt (mine included, obviously).

Egalleys for The Payback were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.