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.