Jennifer Oko Gloss

Gloss

Jennifer Oko

Mira, Jun 2007, $21.95

ISBN: 0778324427

New York based morning news TV producer Annabelle Kapner is proud of her recent human-interest story re the beauty industry job creation plan for Middle East female refugees. In fact the piece is so good she receives the rare combo kudos from the suits who manage the station, peers, viewers, and critics though she also receives threats for her expos .

Her personal life is also going great as she likes and may even loves her nice boyfriend, Washington speech-writer Mark Thurber. However, when Annabelle becomes the news by landing her in jail, she reconsiders her opinion of her top story only to conclude she did the right thing the first time and with her foiled follow-up. As she becomes the media and people favorite, Annabelle knows how high up the DC power structure the glossing over a potential nasty scandal is.

Though using humor to lighten the tone, GLOSS is a deep cautionary tale warning readers to beware of the government industrial complex that prefers to ignore or delay regulatory protection of consumers (NPR just provided stunning comparison of OSHA under Bush 43 vs. previous administrations). The story line uses hyperbole to make a point with exaggeration of some characters and the overall plot, but that mechanism adds to the buyer beware. Fans of deep conspiratorial thrillers will want to read Jennifer Oko's strong condemnation of the partnership between politics and big business leading to the outcome of ignoring health issues.

Harriet Klausner