Adelle Waldman on Her ‘Nickel and Dimed’–Inspired Novel

The locus of Help Wanted, Adelle Waldman’s new novel, is a big-box store in New York’s Hudson Valley. This is a departure from her usual subject matter. Writing it also required a significant departure from her usual life: Waldman actually joined the workforce at a real Hudson Valley big-box store. Help Wanted draws from that experience—a perceptive, multi-layered novel that gives space to the working poor.

I talked with Waldman about the power and pitfalls of immersive writing.

Richard Klin: When I began reading Help Wanted, I couldn’t help thinking of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Was that in the back of your mind as you were about to immerse yourself into this new world?

Absolutely. I’ve always loved that book. It’s so brilliantly written; the message is so powerful. It was definitely in my mind as I decided to get a job at a big-box store. I knew what I wanted to