Metropolis by B. A. Shapiro

 

Metropolis is a large storage building in Boston.  Zach is the building's young owner and bought the building when he was leaving his drug dealing business and trying to get into a legitimate source of money.  He is addicted to adrenaline and spends his time traveling and doing sports like mountain climbing and skydiving.  He hires Rose to run the office in his absence.  Rose is grateful for the job which pays her more than her limited education would typically receive.  She has a husband about to go out on disability and a son who is starting to stay out all night and whom Rose suspects is doing drugs and flirting with a life of crime.  Since she is basically the only person in charge, she has been making money behind Zach's back by letting tenants live in the building and pay her.

Jason is a lawyer who has his office in the building.  He was a young hotshot lawyer in a huge firm but after he discovered some illegalities in a client and turned them over to the law, he was no longer welcome.  He now helps clients with small cases such as an older woman whose neighborhood is gentrifying leaving her to fear being forced out.  Marta is a doctoral student.  She is an immigrant from Venezuela but due to a paperwork issue has been declared in violation of her student visa and ICE is looking for her.  She is living in the building and working on her dissertation, hoping that once she finishes it she can stay here as a citizen.  Liddy is a socialite.  Her husband, Garrett, has sent their children to school overseas and she has stored all their belongings in her storage unit.  She goes and visits their belongings as a way of feeling closer to them.  When her wealthy husband becomes even more controlling and starts to abuse her physically, she rents another unit from Rose and moves in, hoping that she can escape Garrett.  Serge is a homeless man who has found refuge in the building.  He is a photographer and spends his days wandering the streets taking pictures.

When a horrific accident happens in the building, all of these lives will change.  There is a defect in the elevator and it turns out that Rose forgot to get it inspected.  When someone falls down the shaft, all the characters' lives explode. 

B. A. Shapiro's background is in sociology and information technology.  She has worked as a professor, a statistician and head of research projects at various organizations.  She is now a full time author and has written several bestselling novels. Personally, she is one of the authors whose work I try to always read as I've never been disappointed in her work. Often her novels revolve around the art world.  Shapiro has a deft touch drawing characters the reader will relate with and an ability to translate worlds they haven't experienced personally so that they will understand them.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.