Portrait of the Art Patrons as Ambulance Chasers

Following the sullen character of Mia, the “gallerina” whose dreams of becoming an artist are never quite realized, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him unfolds when it becomes apparent that a painting hanging in the Simon Pryce gallery is suddenly worth millions of dollars (the artist is hit by a cab and dies during his opening reception, you see). What follows thereafter is a frenzy of eccentric art collectors, a swindling countess, and the subject of the painting herself, all trying to gain ownership of the coveted work. In the midst of it all is Mia, inadvertently pushed onto a path of personal discovery to find her own artistic identity.

In Danielle Ganek's debut novel, the city and its Chelsea snobs come together to discuss creative subjectivity and the value of art—less cocaine, more Gauguin.

As for its author, an avid art collector with her husband, Ganek’s love for New York City and its art scene is more than apparent throughout the book. And while she claims to save her creative juices for her writing, she also admits to dipping paintbrushes every so often with her three kids. She is currently exploring an idea for her next book: what happens when a couple has conflicting perspectives on art and aesthetics. It’s a subject, she says, that she’s lucky enough not to have personal experience with.

Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him is a perfect reflection of the author herself: simple and clean. And while Mia’s narration is cute and occasionally funny, her observations of the other characters are somewhat lackluster, preventing them from reaching their fullest potential as realized things. There is no denying the fact, however, that Mia’s internal struggle with the opposing forces of ambition and talent is something, as Ganek explains, everyone can identify with. So, while disappointment might be found in the character developments or the neatly-packaged subplots, the book’s core objective—recognizing an individualized creativity—can certainly be appreciated.