Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win

When politicians face scandal and disgrace, observers wonder how such intelligent, accomplished people expected to keep their secrets. In Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, the title character is a successful female Silicon Valley COO, bestselling author, and candidate for U.S. Senate who serves as an intriguing character study for the blend of arrogance and success that populates political elections and U.S. government.

Journalist-turned-novelist Jo Piazza puts modern American elections under her witty and scathing microscope here, asking what sort of person can endure the debilitating scrutiny and requisite mud volleying of a prominent candidacy. Her answer arrives atop the flat, comfy soles of Charlotte’s confidence, ambition, and ruthlessness. Sure, she’s a mom of three, a wife struggling with the nuances of marriage, and a working woman ever tapping at the sides of the work-life-balance scale. But inside, she’s a machine. She will do whatever it takes to win, largely because she believes she is by far the best person for the job. Or any job.

Charlotte’s blend of hubris and humanity are compelling, as is this fictional mid-term election set in a most realistic depiction of 2018 Trump America. The question is, will Charlotte get the votes?