Balancing Acts: A Novel

Charlie seemed to have it all - beauty, brains and a high-paying Wall Street job far away from her simple Midwest upbringing. Then, in the middle of her 'quarter life crisis,' she decides that the banker's life isn't what she wanted after all, quits her job and opens her own yoga studio in Brooklyn. But like any new business, finding customers is an uphill battle. When she hears about her college's 10 year reunion, she straps on her best salesman smile and invades midtown - determined to drum up some business. Unexpectedly, she reconnects with three college classmates - women who, like Charlie, haven't ended up quite where they wanted to in life. Sabine, a romance book editor, still longs to write the novel brewing inside of her. Naomi, a child of the Upper East Side, was an up-and-coming photographer and social darling, but now is a single mom who hasn't picked up her camera in years. Bess, a California girl trying to make it in New York, dreams of being the next Christiane Amanpour, but instead finds herself writing snarky captions for a gossip mag, which is neither satisfying nor rewarding. When Charlie, who has her own past to contend with, signs them up for a weekly beginner's yoga class, they become all too aware of the lack of balance in their lives. Each has to dig deep and fight their inner demons to reconnect with what they truly want out of life. With wit and sensitivity, debut author Zoe Fishman perfectly captures the poignancy, humour, and promise in these four women's lives. "Balancing Acts" is a sincere look at what happens when you're ten years out of college but feel 100 years from who you once were.