Clara Luft is a former almost-lawyer.

She earned a BA in political science and economics and wrote her undergraduate thesis on corruption—and why no one went to jail for the 2008 financial crisis.

But instead of going to law school, she moved to Brooklyn and lived in a loft with actors and musicians. Yes, it was cinematic. Yes, there was no central AC (fuck that). And yes, she fell into a multi-year exploration of yoga teaching, astrology, improv comedy, and the kind of situations that make you write things down. Somewhere along the way, she became a student of human character.

A Case for Three is her debut novel. It’s about the healing and transformative power of intimacy and the f-word.