Due to a lack of proper paperwork, the two 21-year-old women lack access to jobs that require proof of permanent residence, which means they have to hustle. Following a stint in London, Isa's adventures have brought her to Bed-Stuy, where she moves into a room with Gala, an old friend. The novel is set against the playful landscape of the summer of 2013 in New York City. Though Isa's mother is no longer in her life for reasons we find out towards the end of the novel (don't worry-I won't spoil anything for you), we do learn that she holds one piece of maternal advice close to her heart: "In life, you must familiarize yourself with what is glamorous." And so she does. "Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry don't walk bare-head in the hot sun cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil soak your little cloths right after you take them off." The mother imparts practical tips, advice on making the most out of life, and several scoldings, all with the hope that it will help her daughter survive in a patriarchal society. It calls to mind "Girl", the short story by Jamaica Kincaid, which is one long sentence packed with instructions from a mother passed down to her daughter. "My mother always told me that to be a girl one must be especially clever." That is how Marlowe Granados opens her debut novel Happy Hour.
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