Choke: A Novel in Bloomington, MN

For Vanessa, a low-income housing complex in the middle of the desert in El Mirage, Arizona, represents all that is wrong with her life. Her neighbors get it on all night long, she sees an abusive husband kill his wife, and then himself, and her own ex-husband keeps showing up and getting into her pants.
The one bright spot in Vanessa's life is her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy's love for the piano. She is practicing to audition for an esteemed music academy that Vanessa can in no way afford—-especially after losing her housekeeping job. But Vanessa isn't one to give up, and she'll do anything to help her daughter succeed, even if it means selling her body and soul.