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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
It didn't hurt that this book was obviously set in Edinburgh, but it hit me in just the right spot. Neuwirth perfectly encapsulated the absurdity of corporate culture in a short and sweet novel that you can read and chuckle at in one sitting. This story is fully satirical, and if you have ever worked in an overly bureaucratic office, you will recognise the characters and practices in this book. Neuwirth puts these characters is a situation that gradually increases in surrealism without losing the core of awful beliavability that makes this book work.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly would improve all office work people if they were all submerged in water for a little bit I think
Really enjoyed the straight faced telling of the ridiculousness of it all, and like her not wanting to mention it to her friends lol
Really enjoyed the straight faced telling of the ridiculousness of it all, and like her not wanting to mention it to her friends lol
This really does capture the absurdity of corporate office life perfectly. There were moments I compared it to my own work life, which shouldn’t be so easy when the comparison is chest deep water, snorkels and wandering octopi.
Best for:
Anyone who has every worked in an office.
In a nutshell:
Due to slumping sales figures, Management have decided to slowly flood the sales floor.
Worth quoting:
“She had always secretly suspected that her work at MoneyTownCashGrowth was meaningless. She had her clients and she sold them things, but none of it actually meant anything.”
“‘I’m sure that’s not allowed, to mock your employees like that.’ Hanna, and her lack of experience with the Evans of this world! Rose blushed with how much she wished that she, too, still led such a sheltered life.”
Why I chose it:
It looked clever.
Review:
This is an absurd book in the best ways. It’s a novella, so a quick read, but author Neuwirth still manages to fit quite a few highly relevant observations into just under 130 pages.
Rose works in finance, and one week receives an email that the floor where she and her colleagues in sales have office will be slowly flooded with saltwater until productivity turns around. Management (who does not work on the floor and so will not be subject to this slowly increasing discomfort and indignity) seems to operate under the philosophy that the best way to get workers to do something is to harm them.
Throughout the book, the water continues to rise. Staff at first think it’s a bit fun, but as it impacts their lives in and outside of work (what will they tell their friends, how can they go out in public at the end of the day when soaking wet), Rose and others get more desperate.
The book is a decent metaphor not just for the toxicity of workplaces — and how upper and middle management contributes to it — but also for how individual workers choose to react.
What’s next for this book:
Keep and recommend
Anyone who has every worked in an office.
In a nutshell:
Due to slumping sales figures, Management have decided to slowly flood the sales floor.
Worth quoting:
“She had always secretly suspected that her work at MoneyTownCashGrowth was meaningless. She had her clients and she sold them things, but none of it actually meant anything.”
“‘I’m sure that’s not allowed, to mock your employees like that.’ Hanna, and her lack of experience with the Evans of this world! Rose blushed with how much she wished that she, too, still led such a sheltered life.”
Why I chose it:
It looked clever.
Review:
This is an absurd book in the best ways. It’s a novella, so a quick read, but author Neuwirth still manages to fit quite a few highly relevant observations into just under 130 pages.
Rose works in finance, and one week receives an email that the floor where she and her colleagues in sales have office will be slowly flooded with saltwater until productivity turns around. Management (who does not work on the floor and so will not be subject to this slowly increasing discomfort and indignity) seems to operate under the philosophy that the best way to get workers to do something is to harm them.
Throughout the book, the water continues to rise. Staff at first think it’s a bit fun, but as it impacts their lives in and outside of work (what will they tell their friends, how can they go out in public at the end of the day when soaking wet), Rose and others get more desperate.
The book is a decent metaphor not just for the toxicity of workplaces — and how upper and middle management contributes to it — but also for how individual workers choose to react.
What’s next for this book:
Keep and recommend
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes