Mutual Interest

February 4, 2025

A classic in the making: a mesmerizing novel about marriage and ambition, sexuality and secrecy, and the true costs of building an empire.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Vivian Lesperance is determined to flee her origins in Utica, New York, and avoid repeating her parents’ dull, limited life. When she meets Oscar Schmidt, a middle manager at a soap company, Vivian finds a partner she can guide to build the life she wants—not least because, more interested in men himself, Oscar will leave Vivian to tend to her own romances with women.

But Vivian’s plans require capital, so the two pair up with Squire Clancey, scion of an old American fortune. Together they found Clancey & Schmidt, a preeminent manufacturer of soap, perfume, and candles. When Oscar and Squire fall in love, the trio form a new kind of partnership.

Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power building Clancey & Schmidt into an empire of personal care products while operating behind the image of both men. But exposure threatens, and all three partners are made aware of how much they have to lose.

For readers of Hernan Diaz’s Trust and Colm Tóibín’s The Magician, with echoes of Gustave Flaubert and E.M. Forster, Mutual Interest is a beguiling story of queer romance, empire, and power.

Praise

“Wolfgang-Smith explores tensions in the private lives of three queer misfits turned business titans in her stunning latest . . . Wolfgang-Smith’s sharp, sardonic narration brilliantly brings to life both the Gilded Age and her unforgettable protagonists. It’s a virtuosic performance.”

—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“At the book’s most fun, it’s Edith Wharton or Henry James, with more camp and a winking tone . . . All’s queer in love and industry: a memorable tale uniquely told.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Olivia Wolfgang-Smith writes with gusto, confidence and humor, and it’s a magical combination . . . I rooted for Vivian every step of the way. But it's the love story that beats at the heart of this novel that won me completely: Squire and Oscar forever and ever.”

—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“A glittering portrait of post-Gilded Age New York, Mutual Interest is also a timeless queer love story and a meditation on power, capitalism, and the flow of history. Wolfgang-Smith’s writing is as wise as it is witty; this novel is a revelation and a joy.”

—Anna North, New York Times bestselling author of Outlawed

“A sumptuous delight. It's rare to find a writer who can command sentences this intricate, precise, and multilayered—and rarer still to find a writer who can turn those gorgeous sentences to the task of capturing characters who love and want this deeply and fiercely. Mutual Interest is as witty as it is deadly serious, as joyous as it is razor-sharp. I loved every single brilliant page.”

—Clare Beams, author of The Garden

“The alluring world of Mutual Interest is populated by a remarkable, defiant cast of characters . . . Olivia Wolfgang-Smith has created something towering, labyrinthine, and utterly captivating.”

—Temim Fruchter, author of City of Laughter