Diane's day began at 4:28 am when she gets a phone call-she had to come to the museum ASAP. When she arrived at 5:30 she meets with counsel who told her that several artifacts in the India collection were looted, and the authorities were already sniffing around. The director of a NYC art museum (no, NOT the Met, even though they share the same collections and specialties), Diane certainly doesn't need that kind of trouble, especially today. Tonight is the Gala and the museum will be under the microscope. This is the night everything has to be perfect-the food, the entertainment, the glamorous atmosphere, as it is the best chance to woo the press and the high rolling donors. Times are getting tough at the museum and Diane needs new costly exhibits and flashy collections to get the public's attention. It certainly doesn't help that several of the employees have called in sick, perhaps from that shrimp served at the staff party last night. They can't afford to close to the public so the Gala is being set up in the midst of viewing traffic. What makes it worse is, the new wing is under construction, and to impress the Japanese ambassador in charge of the amazing money-making spectacle, Diane gives him a behind the scenes tour. Who knew a toolbox would fall on his arm?
As the day progresses, everything that can possibly go wrong, does. The director and her assistant run interference with the logistic and personality problems that are just another day to them. A dying donor who has been dangling his private collection for years to competing museums still needs pampering. The remaining employees must cover their responsibilities as well as those of their sick co-workers for the gala, expertise be damned. Even hair, make-up, and gowns become mini-crises. And of course the Gala just might not go as planned.
I love books that give me the unexpected, and McGowan really delivers. There are no chapters in the novel, but passage of time is noted by recording the time each event happens. Beginning with "four twenty-something," the day progresses into the night from hell and ends at a Rockaway beach after five am. Bad things happen, really bad things happen, and a few good things happen too. The characters are complicated, but the reader will feel for them as we get a window on their motivations. Certainly I now have a new perspective on how a museum must fight for its existence every day and what looks like a smoothly run organization can also be a study in controlled chaos.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
April 15, 2025
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