Federico Scarioni 
Betsy 
A pulp novel

Nicolae Cook is an intern at Victoria Corporation, a multinational marketing company. The enterprise is led by Mr. Zwanga, a dark and mysterious founder and CEO who speaks through Mrs. Lulu, his resourceful secretary and the only one in the building who has ever seen his face. One day, Nicolae is sent on a mission (code: BETSY), which will take him on a crazy journey along the California coast. He’ll meet improbable characters and find himself tangled up in their often tragic lives. He’ll also meet Ambrosia, a chewing gum spokeswoman who will change everything. BETSY is a grotesque, pulp look at our consumer society. It’s a sarcastic, often scary revelation of the mechanisms behind sales strategies. We are watched, studied, labeled—we are all walking merchandise. BETSY is a “marketing tale” whose pulp soul fits quite well in with the likes of Palahniuk and Ellis. – Alessandro Caliandro, sociologist We read Lovecraft. We fight in the Fight Club. We live in American Psycho. We love the deep silence of the hours From Dusk till Dawn. Ashes. You can find us in a Grindhouse. The story is more important than the paper. Experience rules all of our lives when it runs on the road. BETSY: we are all walking merchandise. – Nicolae Cook This one? This one is a political novel. – Federico Scarioni