How to Sell

This is a dazzling, dizzying debut - a high-speed American tragicomedy and philosophical investigation into the nature of retail, sex and adulthood from an astonishing new talent. Bobby Clark is just sixteen when he drops out of school to follow his big brother Jim into the jewellery business. Bobby idolises Jim and, from the moment he steps off the plane from Canada, he's in awe of Jim's girlfriend Lisa, the best saleswoman at the Fort Worth Deluxe Diamond Exchange. Under their tutelage, Bobby is determined to learn all he can. "How to Sell" is the story of a young man's education in the two oldest human passions, love and money. It charts the swift rise of the Clark brothers and tallies the cost of their success on everyone around them, especially on the woman who becomes a lover to both men. Through the lens of this classic tragedy, Martin captures the luxury business in all its exquisite vulgarity, finding in the diamond and watch trade a metaphor for the American soul at work. "How to Sell" is a marvel of economy, observation, and emotional truth, from a writer whose skills and story arrive fully formed.