Must Read: Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford
Evelyn Beegan, the protagonist of Clifford’s debut novel, Everybody Rise, is someone we can all relate to. And while we may not all be in Evelyn’s exact predicament – in this case, one that comes with a silver spoon in hand – we are all eager to be accepted (one way or another) and become the best version of ourselves, no matter what we, or those around us, perceive that to be.
An independent heroine struggling to live the life she always thought one living in New York City (circa 2006) would end up being, we follow Evelyn through her trials and tribulations as her worlds of past, faux present and future bleed together. After starting a new job at the elite startup, People Like Us, she’s thrusted out of her social-shell and catapulted into all things high society and while she spent most of her life opposing the WASPy rules that at one time seemed contrived and old-fashioned, she quickly becomes intoxicated with the people, tradition and ‘scene’ that make up this world of Adirondack sailing and Hamptons summering which quickly has her treading the line of reality and fantasy.
The world Clifford builds throughout her novel is like falling down the aristocratic rabbit hole and although it can be perceived as one of frivolous goods and behaviors, the core of her story is grounded by the characters she has created which although when initially introduced seem shallow by nature, each contain a soulful depth that extends far beyond their perfectly polished surface.
In the end though, everything circles back to Evelyn. Her drive, ambition and perseverance in attempting to accomplish what we all want to achieve (whether through our career, family, love or social status), to prove to everyone that doubted her that she can be successful and a someone in her own right is admirable. It’s her plight to find her true self, unforgettable moxie and Clifford’s inevitable roller coaster of up’s and down’s throughout her satire that has all of us rooting for Evelyn until the very last page.
