I was not sure what to expect when I started author Caroline Palmer’s debut novel “Workhorse,” which follows the story of a young, middle class junior assistant at Vogue magazine as she navigates social dynamics, dress codes and her own ambition. The concept of the novel felt familiar, particularly with “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in the making—featuring two women who attended Vassar!—and I was intrigued how “Workhorse” would differ. But let me make this clear, this novel is not a version of “The Devil Wears Prada.” While Palmer draws loosely on her own time working at Vogue—yes, they actually were given free designer bags and towncars to chart through the streets of New York City—she diverges from personal experiences when fabricating characters and plot, creating turbulent social dynamics and exploring the difference between money, class and the rise of technology. The book merely uses the fashion industry as a platform for discussing these themes that exist across American society.
“I wanted to give a different perspective on class conflict,” Palmer shared with The Miscellany News between busy stops on her book tour. “You often see stories about disparity between the poor and the wealthy, but I wanted to demonstrate the class difference that existed between old and new money and how these influenced social dynamics.”
Palmer demonstrates this through the metaphor of a “Workhorse,” which is described in the book as as “(most often) a white girl who hails from a thriving public school system located in a tidy little corner of suburbia who has been promised that, with enough hard work, she will be eligible for some variation of upward mobility… Historically speaking a Workhorse’s privilege is new, it generally dates back only a generation, and while she has worn it out a few times, she hasn’t quite figured out how it fits.” This is in contrast to a “Showhorse,” which is “an Ivy League-educated (or appropriately Ivy League adjacent, e.g., Kenyon, Colby) white girl who was born into some variation of generational wealth (nannies, trust funds, private schools, an emotional understanding of Maine) whose pedigree and connections burnish the reputation of the magazine and confirm it as a safe space for their fellow elite.”
Over our call, Palmer explained, “I wanted to emphasize how Clo is comfortably middle class, she has options and her parents’ security blanket to fall back on.” Despite this, Clo often laments her lower social status. Palmer explains this contrast, saying, “As the reader, you can see what a small difference it is between these two figures [workhorses and showhorses], but in a world where appearances and ‘who you know’ is the entrance into higher society, she [Clo] feels alienated.”
Palmer’s juxtaposition alludes to the barricade many face when trying to break into “elite” fields. The nuanced rules Palmer cites throughout “Workhorse” serve as a means of separating “old money” from the other, solidifying the preexisting dynamics to assert control. The helplessness Clo feels when facing these unwritten standards helps Palmer’s readers understand Clo’s morally shaky choices—from somewhat questionable ideas to full blown felonies
Palmer continues to dissect dynamics as she bends gender stereotypes: “One thing that really frustrated me when reading about ambitious female characters is their presentation.” Palmer expanded, saying, “They were either depicted as true irredeemable villains, or as such sympathetic characters that their actions, no matter how questionable, could be reasoned with.” Palmer chuckled, saying how she “never found this with male characters.”
“But when writing Clo,” Palmer says, as we return to her book, “I wanted to write her as someone who was purely driven by ambition, while still being relatable.”
And it is hard not to sympathize with Clo. The promise of free Broadways tickets twice a week, along with a closet of designer clothes and makeup—which Palmer explains would regularly be purged to make way for new products with the spoils left for the taking—is so tempting; it is easy to imagine yourself completely immersed in it. Palmer creates a world that is equally alluring and volatile, leaving you inwardly praying that Clo will get away with theft and fraud to rise through the hierarchy. That is, until the voice in the back of your head starts beating away, shocked by both her and her so-called friends’ cold calculations. It is like Clo says, “I would die [for everyone at the magazine]. And they know it…The trick is getting them to die for you first.”
And it is this layered relationship between Clo and her colleagues, who are also her friends and mortal enemies that make up the majority of the over 500-page novel, which is the most striking aspect of the book.. Clo’s boss, a polished editor called Isobel, was never the antagonizing figure often written at the helm of these stories. She takes Clo under her wing, teaching her the importance of meticulous review and careful punctuation—skills that Clo appears to take less notice of as she was swept into galas and shopping sprees with her work friend’s “washed-up-90-sitcom-star-mother.” “It was another important differentiation I wanted to make,” Palmer explained. “The early 2000s were a time of change as new media started to come through. You can see this new blogging culture that Harry, another one of Clo’s work frienemies, embodies, along with the more relaxed attitude of younger generations who are starting to grow up with this tech.”
Palmer explained how she, as founding editor of Vogue online, had to adjust the magazine—both the “old” and “new” guard—to the digital world. “I remember one time we were working on an article, and I asked one of my newer hires if they could give me a fact check. They told me that it would be fine because if something was wrong, we could always change it! I had to explain how we cannot sacrifice our journalist integrity simply because we had been granted technology that allowed us to.” This social disconnect is apparent in “Workhorse” as Clo begins to move up the ranks. “I wanted to show how this world of glamor Clo fought so hard to ascend was so fragile. There was so much societal change going on around her as the internet developed and the world around her shifted.”
Before I let Palmer return to her busy book tour, I asked her about what her advice would be to students interested in pursuing writing today. She told me, “It is important to keep writing and improving and taking advice where you can get it. Writing is a process, you have to be diligent in your work.” I thanked her before we hung up. I look forward to reading her future novels as she continues her process.