Snake Oil

Available September 17, 2024

A razor-sharp literary thriller about three women vying for power at a wellness start-up, where the cost of ambition might be deadly.

One woman’s elixir is another woman’s poison…

Rhoda West is Silicon Valley’s favorite female CEO: the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing start-up Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Rhoda’s Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical’s secretive lab.

Dani Lang is a “quester,” as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself.

Cecelia Cole is a quasher. She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda’s smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows that the remedies Rhoda sells can't cure real sickness.

Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the start-up. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity?

Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a crime, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder to what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company.

Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of the startup culture, SNAKE OIL is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shinning a revealing light on the wellness world.

Praise for SNAKE OIL and Kelsey Rae Dimberg:

“A sharp, fun, and wickedly smart examination of female ambition and the constant pursuit of perfection, in a world where perfection is just another illusion to be sold.”—Kathy Wang, author of FAMILY TRUST and IMPOSTER SYNDROME

"Snake Oil sheds its light and shining skin to reveal deep and resonant truths about modern life. Dimberg's prose glows with the power of a thousand serums. I underlined the hell out of this perfectly timely yet surprisingly timeless gem." —Avery Carpenter Forrey, author of SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

"A lush, attentive portrait of a culture where botanicals are revolutionary, nourishment is a superpower, and wellness is one click away, Snake Oil purrs with abundance and delivers the uneasy thrill of buying and selling ourselves on every page." —Barbara Bourland, author of THE FORCE OF SUCH BEAUTY

“Dimberg’s second psychological thriller revisits the realm of toxic charisma that fueled Girl in the Rearview Mirror (2019), trading the political sphere for a wellness influencer’s empire. CEO Rhoda West built her wellness brand, Radical, from a viral social media following and is now launching its second round of venture capital funding. Radical Customer Worship Associates Dani and Cecilia battle an unrelenting queue of customer demands that feeds both Dani’s faith in the brand and Cecelia’s anonymous trolling account, @Radicalidiocy. After learning that Rhoda plans to fire ever-loyal Dani, Cecelia’s simmering discontent turns to rage, and she exposes Rhoda’s hypocrisy by leaking her Slack messages. The ensuing battle leaves one of them dead, and Dani’s desperate hunt for evidence to support her faith in Rhoda reveals how far she’ll go for Radical. Menace grows slowly here as Dimberg immerses readers in the complex interplay of affirmation and vicious retribution in cultish movements. A great recommendation for readers seeking a follow-up to Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers (2018).” — Booklist

“Snake Oil was a surprisingly poignant and smart novel with layers of observations about the still present sexism in big business. Each layer of the story reveals more and more about its female narrator and the realities of their lives in relation to this facade of how women should look, behave, and be. There is a lot to break down in this story from how the CEO Rhoda is constantly seen as less than from the men in her same position to Cecelia's mental health and ambitions and Dani's desire for a family but to retain her career. Twisty storytelling with in-depth characters on the brink makes Snake Oil more than just a novel about the dark side of startup and wellness culture.” — Bookseller Lauren N., Curious Iguana, Frederick, MD

“For fans of docu-series like "Unwell", and those skeptical of "lifestyle" brands and the concerning amount of trust placed in them by their devotees, "Snake Oil" is for you. I'm loving all the literature satirizing and critiquing wellness culture that have come out recently, and "Snake Oil" is no exception. Rarely are the founders of these questionable companies featured with their own perspectives in these narratives, often they are portrayed as delusional or sociopathic villains, lacking nuance or complexity. Dimberg shows that one can portray these (often corrupt) figures as people, complicated and not without redeemable traits. What I also appreciated was that a detractor with insider knowledge was prominently featured with their own perspective and not ancillary, only serving as a convenient plot device.” — Bookseller Emily H., Avant Garden Bookstore, Anoka, MN

“This is a book to make you think about how advertising affects your world and those around you. Do you ever question the 'woo-woo' brands or wonder if maybe there is something to that crystal or special oil? If so, this is a book for you. Loved the writing, the character development, and the overall theme.” — Bookseller Joanne B., Mystery to Me, Madison, WI

“Amazing. The author (new to me), is brilliant. A true artist. Very few words wasted in this twisty turny novel. 3 women: One is the creator of a female health and wellness company that utilizes all the social media to LIFT her brand (iykyk). One woman started with the brand in the beginning days and has benefited from the products (so she believes) and is a devoted fan. One woman works for the brand, befriends the devoted worker/fan, but had a different experience and is bitter. There is a twisty turn. And, oddly enough, the character that I was sure I wasn't going to be rooting for, I actually found myself rooting for in the end. I couldn't put the book down (that alone deserves 5 stars as I start and stop many many books and few rarely hold my attention). Could easily go from book to screen, and I hope if it does, they stick to the story. In a fair world, this would spend a year on the Best Seller list.” — Bookseller Laura F., Barnes & Noble