This is a novel about restaurant dwellers, and we are put in the point of view of an innocent migrant to NYC who wants to discover something beautiful and passionate in life that she couldn't find in Ohio. She is truly innocent at the beginning, but by the end she has had sex with her boss for a promotion that she then turns down anyway, and she has left a stain on her relationships by verbally assaulting them while black-out drunk. It seems she has learned the lesson that New York has tried to teach her.
The lesson is simply that in New York City, community is scarce, especially for newcomers. There's a reason the sayings exist about New York, like, "If you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere." That's because it is very isolating and trying to survive in New York, and the fact that everyone wants to live there keeps the money permanently stressful for the people who live in the city. Tess doesn't know that until it is eating her alive, but she does end up admitting that life is a grind and a hustle for those who choose big city living.
And what does she gain besides experience? Almost nothing, but the experience is priceless. The novelist positions the reader in a position to judge Tess, if they wanted to, especially about the prostitution, but there is another way of looking at this story that doesn't involve shame or judgment. Instead, the reader can choose to view Tess as a hero trapped in time, learning to discover her strength, ambition, and resolve through experience. But, still in the meantime, the black-out drinking is not a sign of health.
