The Business Trip

Although she only narrates chapters at the beginning and end of the novel, Stephanie is the protagonist of The Business Trip. Her disappearance and suspected murder propel the events of the novel. She is described as an attractive 45-year-old woman with “brown hair [that] ha[s] a slight natural wave, grays creeping in” (26). Stephanie is characterized as a lonely woman whose sense that she has lost control of her life leads her to attempt to escape it.

In her opening chapter, Stephanie describes herself as “a divorced woman with a grown child and only a cat” (20). The novel suggests that Stephanie did not want to get divorced: When her husband asked for a divorce, she felt “hurt that he had been the one to propose it, and sadness that a partnership that had raised such a solid kid was coming to an end” (25). Repeated references to her divorce and her adult son reflect Stephanie’s sense that she has lost her family. After the divorce, Stephanie’s only source of “camaraderie” is her neighbor Robert. Although she enjoys spending time with Robert, who is gay, their relationship is not fully satisfying: “I longed for the sort of easy companionship I had with Robert, just someone who found me physically attractive” (25). Stephanie’s dissatisfaction reflects her desire for romantic love.

Stephanie feels that she lacks control in her life, even if her life looks good to others. In this way, the novel suggests that appearances can be deceiving and that we don’t really know how someone feels beneath the surface. Stephanie describes her career as “a hamster wheel [she] seemingly ha[s] no control of” (25).

The conference in San Diego that sets the novel in motion reflects her lack of control. Stephanie believes that her boss chose her for the trip because he “probably th[inks] [she] [i]s the easy button to push” due to her lack of family and other responsibilities (20). In these passages, Stephanie’s self-descriptions as a hamster and a button reflect her sense that she is being controlled by other people in her life. Stephanie’s sense that she has lost control leads her to try to escape. In her opening chapter, Stephanie admits that she “long[s] for adventure, change, a vacation” and that she “ache[s] for something fun and rebellious” (25, 28). The use of the words “long[s]” and “ache[s]” in this passage reflect the intensity of Stephanie’s desire to escape her life and foreshadow the novel’s later revelation: that she hired someone to impersonate her at the conference.

Trent is a central narrator in The Business Trip. He is described as a 52-year-old man with “a boyish face” and a “gut [that] ha[s] been inching out for the past five years” (135). His characterization as an overly sexual, misogynistic man is designed to mislead the reader into believing that he is guilty of the murders of Jasmine and Stephanie.

Trent is depicted as a man obsessed with sex. When he arrives at the conference in San Diego, he is “itching for a one-night stand” and excited to “scout the chicks just in case something could develop” (133). When he sees Jasmine, he “immediately decide[s] she [i]s the one [he] w[ill] hit on at this conference” since he “ha[s]n’t seen anyone hotter than her in the room” (139). These lines illustrate how Trent sees women as objects. Trent’s use of the word “chicks” to describe his female colleagues and his ranking of female attendees by attractiveness suggest an overly sexualized view of women. At the conference, his treatment of the woman he believes to be Stephanie is also overtly sexual. When discussing management strategies, Trent asks her, “[A]re you someone who likes to […] punish others? Or do you prefer, you know, a softer touch?” (142). His sexualized language in a discussion of the workplace borders on sexual harassment. Later, he fully crosses the line when he “sidle[s] up to her as [they] t[ake] a group picture, and [he] pushe[s] against her behind, just to give her a hint of the fun [they] could have together” (144).

Trent also expresses misogynistic viewpoints that suggest that he thinks women are inferior to men. He avoids things that he thinks are feminine, such as post-work stretching, arguing that “stretching [i]s for ballerinas” (135), and sweetener in his coffee, reasoning that “sugar [i]s for little girls” (136). Trent’s desire to avoid things he perceives as feminine reflects his misogynistic belief that femininity is associated with weakness and immaturity.

Trent also expresses a firm belief in outdated gender roles. He feels that his children are a “pain in the ass” and reasons that since his ex-wife “Katrina [i]s the woman, she c[an] deal with that sort of crap” (134). Later, he argues that “men ma[k]e better leaders” than women because “women [a]re too wishy-washy” (143). Trent’s crude view of gender, like his overly sexualized behavior, is designed to mislead the reader into believing that he is responsible for the murders of Jasmine and Stephanie rather than an innocent man framed by Jasmine.