Clasp

A witty, heartfelt tale of friendship, love, and a madcap quest for a legendary necklace

Kezia, Nathaniel, and Victor reunite for a college friend''s extravagant wedding, each absorbed in their own lives—Kezia, second-in-command to an eccentric jewelry designer in Manhattan; Nathaniel, a former literary cool kid now selling his wares in Hollywood; and the Eeyore-esque Victor, recently fired from a middling search engine. As old dynamics resurface, Victor passes out in the mother of the groom''s bedroom, only to wake up to her jovially slapping him. Instead of a scolding, she shares a story about a valuable necklace that vanished during the Nazi occupation of France.

Thus begins a wild adventure that takes Victor, Kezia, and Nathaniel from Miami to New York, L.A., Paris, and across France, culminating at the estate of Guy de Maupassant, author of the classic short story "The Necklace." In this The Clasp, Sloane Crosley''s inimitable wit sparkles as she explores the challenges of friendship in adulthood and the blurry lines between the genuine and the fake. A task that might be possible with precious stones proves far more complicated when it comes to human relationships in this heartfelt, suspenseful, and utterly enthralling debut novel.