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HOTLINERS
Is it safe for you to talk now?
A group of young women working at a domestic violence hotline in Tumblr-era Austin drift between nonprofit labor, religious uncertainty, complicated relationships, intense friendships, late-night parties, and everyday exposure to violence.
Comic, intimate, and politically charged, Hotliners, the debut nonfiction novel by Jeni Pirtle, examines the emotional contradictions of care work and the cost of answering the call.
"The main thing we had in common was our youth, but we also shared our passion for the cause. No one was there for just the money, which was a low hourly rate anyway. We were feminists who believed in the work. Among the hotliners, I suddenly found I didn’t have to tone down any of my beliefs or make my anger more palatable. We drew solace from each other, creating a singular perspective on the world, like a private mythology born of the stories we heard every day. We shared a common language."
A group of young women working at a domestic violence hotline in Tumblr-era Austin drift between nonprofit labor, religious uncertainty, complicated relationships, intense friendships, late-night parties, and everyday exposure to violence.
Comic, intimate, and politically charged, Hotliners, the debut nonfiction novel by Jeni Pirtle, examines the emotional contradictions of care work and the cost of answering the call.
"The main thing we had in common was our youth, but we also shared our passion for the cause. No one was there for just the money, which was a low hourly rate anyway. We were feminists who believed in the work. Among the hotliners, I suddenly found I didn’t have to tone down any of my beliefs or make my anger more palatable. We drew solace from each other, creating a singular perspective on the world, like a private mythology born of the stories we heard every day. We shared a common language."
371 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2026
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