A woman in her early twenties moves to New York to work at the literary agent of J.D Salinger. Despite being an English graduate and avid reader, Salinger’s work has managed to pass her by – but over the course of her time at ‘The Agency’, she learns why millions fell in love with his books as she struggles to navigate her own place in the literary world. ‘My Salinger Year’ perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be lost, broke and unsure of yourself in your twenties. And while this can be a fairly grim experience, its setting in 1990s New York makes it deliciously nostalgic. The Agency is stuck in the past with its old-fashioned office and typewriters; it’s fierce loyalty to a writer who hasn’t published in years. But the way Rakoff writes it, you would want to be stuck there, too – even in its worst moments. MG

Published by Bloomsbury