Griftopia: A Novel

Tradwife scams, pickleball craze, pimping kids for social media content … the Freischins never met a cultural moment they didn’t exploit.  Orphaned and separated as young children, the Freischin sisters are nothing if not survivors. Now, in middle age, Pearl is blindsided by a sexual harassment allegation at the school where she’s taught for decades, while her sister Scarlett is left penniless after her husband is imprisoned for embezzling. Meanwhile, Pearl’s son Declan, a college student and track star struggling with anxiety, quits school when he becomes entangled with a young con-artist. Scarlett’s daughter, former tennis phenom Helena, needs help as well. Helena’s six-year-old daughter Burkleigh, who achieved meteoric social media fame for her ability to sing like Billie Holiday, has been canceled for appropriation, while Helena, who can’t seem to find a job that pays a living wage, turns to pickleball coaching in order to put food on the table.  Close to destitute, the Freischin clan is in danger of homelessness unless they can make some quick cash. Leveraging Burkleigh’s talent, they arrive at a series of progressively dubious internet scams. Griftopia explores the gritty heart of grifting for survival.