Sex and Vanity: A Novel

Lucie’s grandmother Mrs. John L. Churchill, or Consuelo Barclay Churchill, travels to Manhattan and opens her 821 Fifth Avenue apartment to celebrate Lucie’s engagement and meet Cecil. The building is renowned in Manhattan, and its residents are all members of the elite.

Lucie’s family gathers at the apartment. They question Lucie about Cecil’s job and family. Everyone is skeptical of Cecil’s mother, Renée Pike. The conversation shifts to Charlotte, who’s been living in London and is set to return to the States for the summer. Remarking on Charlotte, the family discusses privilege and pretension. Annoyed, Lucie wonders why Cecil is late.

Renée makes Cecil drive laps around Fifth Avenue before stopping at 821. Cecil tries to assuage her concerns about meeting Consuelo. Finally, she lets him park, and they go upstairs to meet the family.

Cecil and Renée go up to the 17th floor. On the way, Renée remembers trying to secure an apartment in the building. The board wouldn’t allow it because the Pikes are Jewish and partially Hispanic. Meanwhile, Cecil exclaims at the building and how excited he is to see the Churchill apartment. Inside, the families meet, and the Churchills introduce the Pikes to their guests. Then, Consuelo makes a lengthy toast to Lucie. Lucie blinks back tears, aware that no one knows the real reason.

Cecil and Lucie step onto the rooftop garden and discuss the gathering. Cecil doesn’t like most of the guests. They go on to discuss their upcoming plans to stay in the Hamptons for the summer and the guests who will be in the area at the same time. Then Lucie gets emotional because she’s frustrated with the family and how she’s always had to be strong. Cecil comforts her, again insisting that they’re perfect for each other. Lucie reminds herself of how important it is to marry Cecil.

Lucie, her friends, and her family gather in East Hampton for the summer. One day, Lucie shows Auden her paintings. Afterward, Lucie and Freddie discuss who will rent the nearby house for the summer. They continue the conversation over lunch with Marian and Auden. Lucie is horrified to discover that Cecil intervened in the rental and arranged for Rosemary and George Zao to take the house. She calls Cecil, demanding to know what’s going on, as she arranged for the Ortiz sisters to have the rental. Cecil laughs, insisting that it’s just a joke he was playing on the property owner, Harry. Lucie can’t calm down.

Lucie attends one of Auden’s puppy yoga classes at the Preppie Guru Lounge. She’s been going consistently for the past four summers. She gets distracted during the class when George arrives. She feels embarrassed and excuses herself afterward, declining George and Auden’s invitation to get juices together.

Lucie drives home, ridiculing herself for her behavior. She reminds herself that she’s marrying Cecil and that George means “nothing to her” (209). She gets upset again, however, when she returns home to find Rosemary in the kitchen with Marian. They announce that George will join them, too.

Lucie showers, dresses, and rejoins Rosemary and Marian downstairs. Lucie updates Rosemary on her life since their time in Capri. Freddie joins the group, and everyone urges him to taste Rosemary’s Chinese recipes. They discuss other aspects of Hong Kong culture, including directors, actors, and films. George eventually joins, too.

George asks to see Lucie’s paintings, and she leads him to her studio. She wonders if he’s mocking her while watching him study her work. However, she’s surprised when he comments on the work and his interpretations are accurate. He sees the grief in one of her paintings, which she made after her father died. She silently realizes that she reacted to the man in the piazza café in Capri the way she did because she watched her father die when she was a child.

Lucie takes her regular Sunday morning jog to feel better, but it doesn’t have its usual effect. She stops running on the beach, annoyed to see George emerging from the water. He greets her, and she immediately regrets her sharp response. They talk about surfing, beaches, New York, and disparities between the wealthy and working classes. They also share their experiences of being Asian and the way others see them. George remarks on Lucie’s paintings again. Then, an attractive woman named Viv joins them and leaves with George.

Cecil, Freddie, Lucie, and their friends and family spend an afternoon at Cecil’s home on Saint Luke’s Place. They move between the house’s various rooms, discussing its decor, artwork, and appliances. Cecil is excited to show his guests the house and describe his favorite aspects.

The guests leave, and Lucie goes to the fifth floor, where she sits alone and thinks about her conversation with George from earlier in the pool room. She asked him questions about the house and his relationship with Viv but now regrets doing so. Cecil joins her and remarks upon the evening’s events. He’s glad that Lucie wore the couture dress, as he thinks that her appearance impressed everyone. Renée will also give Lucie a tiara from the family vault to wear for the wedding. The couple gets ready for bed and then has sex. They role-play during intercourse.

Lucie and Cecil arrive at the Dorset Yacht Club in Cecil’s 1973 Ferrari. Lucie doesn’t like arriving in the car, but since she is accustomed to Cecil’s displays, she doesn’t say anything. The club attendant refuses to let Cecil into the dining room without a collared shirt. Lucie begs him not to make a scene and to wear one provided by the club. The couple joins Marian and Freddie in the dining room, where Freddie teases Cecil about the shirt. Charlotte has just arrived from London and joins the family, too.

Charlotte is shocked to run into George in the restroom, who entered the wrong facility. Afterward, she tells Lucie, who explains why George is there. Charlotte is aghast.