Bri Lee’s first work of fiction, “The Work,” is an immersive and irresistible treasure.

Lee is, of course, a formidable talent. I’m a long-time admirer of her writing—her three non-fiction books, but especially her newsletter—and I had high hopes for her debut novel. I expected something cerebrally engrossing. And it is—Lee’s writing is flush with elegance and intelligence—but this is an absolute page-turner. Lee’s storytelling is utterly propulsive, suffused with deep insights about art, desire, love and ambition, and pockmarked with plenty of sex.

Her prose is direct and lucid. There is no literary obfuscation. Lee creates ethically and morally murky situations for her two leads, New York-based Lally and Sydney-based Pat, and leaves it to the reader to marinate on the decisions of her protagonists, who are richly-drawn and complicated.

“The Work” is one of those rare novels, equally appropriate for your beach bag or book club. It’s a knockout, which will thrill Lee’s legion of followers, and certainly attract new ones.