Shopgirls

Nineteen-year-old Zippy is learning to be an adult in 1980s San Francisco. She’s thrilled to land her dream job at the I Magnin Department Store and moves into her own apartment, all the while gleaning advice from friends and her new coworkers. She can’t afford to shop at her store, but she is a great salesperson, understanding that selling requires knowledge of the customer and how to make them happy. Zippy knows she was the product of a one-night stand and has never heard from her father, but then he contacts her out of the blue, and she finds they have similar interests. When her mother and stepfather suffer a medical emergency, Zippy quits her job for something that pays better, even though she doesn’t like the work. She meets a guy in a bar and it seems like a connection that might lead somewhere. Then, I Magnin rehires her as a buyer, and the future seems to be in her hands. Bestselling Blau (Mary Jane) writes an optimistic coming-of-age story that includes a host of eccentric characters and depicts life in San Francisco in the 1980s, focusing on social class, AIDS, and workplace politics.