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An aspiring writer goes to work for charismatic self-help guru in a propulsively paced, Stepford-like tale of workplace violations and the search for self-actualization.

Under the Influence, Noelle Crooks’s first novel, follows a young woman into a work opportunity that offers the chance for great success–or a total loss of self.

A few years ago, Harper Cruz moved from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to the big city to make her way as a writer, and then slid into what she thought was a safer position working in publishing. Now, laid off, she’s been struggling to make rent, aided by a perfectly lovely best friend, Poppy. It’s Poppy who finds the listing for a “Visionary Support Strategist” to a social media sensation, influencer Charlotte Green. As soon as she’s applied, Harper finds herself whisked off to Nashville, Tenn., rushed through signing a contract for an unbelievable amount of money, and inducted into the work family at the Greenhouse, where tiny, magnetic, manipulative Charlotte rules a team of employees who are both in love with and terrified of her.

Harper is bookish; she couldn’t have named a single influencer before she worked for one; and her own Insta, according to a #GreenTeam colleague, is “sad.” She has off-and-on concerns about Charlotte’s self-help empire; her boss notes more than once how much integrity Harper has. But she falls under the spell of Charlotte’s charm and carefully meted compliments and soon embraces the long hours, absence of work-life balance, and cult-like branding that defines the Greenhouse. Mandatory dance parties, social media oversharing, and bottomless green juice should compensate for a few HR violations, right? Harper has a new best friend and possibly even a romantic interest, both at work. She sees herself losing touch with Poppy and her own parents, but Charlotte needs her–even at night, over the weekends, and on holidays. Charlotte warns her staff, of course, that their families won’t support their work: “Powerful people can be intimidating.” If Harper starts seeing her relationships break down, she figures, “I guess that’s just the price of success.”

Under the Influence is propulsive in its pacing, with the chipper tones of the Green Team and the emotional roller coaster that is Harper’s work (and only) life. That readers can see warning signs that Harper herself often fails to note makes the novel quietly terrifying, even in the upbeat spin so carefully crafted by Charlotte’s helpers. The result is disorienting, even mind-bending: Harper’s story is green-clad, photogenic, cheerful, and horrifying. Secondary characters at the Greenhouse are finely drawn and nuanced. After wrestling with workplace culture, female friendships, and the risks inherent in coming of age, Crooks’s debut ends on a hopeful note, blending horror into fantasy. Compulsively readable, frightening but addictive, Under the Influence perfectly captures some of the contradictions and challenges of modern work life.

This review originally ran in the June 12, 2023 issue of Shelf Awareness for the Book Trade. To subscribe, click here.

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: misc fiction, Shelf Awareness |