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hkeogh13 's review for:
The Very Nice Box
by Eve Gleichman, Laura Blackett
This book was really interesting. I have no idea where I got the recommendation from but I loved how it sounded a bit different to the things I usually read, so I picked it up. It didn't disappoint.
This is the story of Ava, a designer at a company called STADA, who has a backstory which means she has become a little bit reclusive. The story quite quickly takes us into this backstory, though it's clear that Ava has always been slightly shy, even prior to those events. She is quite rigid with her ways and likes to work hard and be at home with her dog, Brutus.
Things change for Ava when a new manager joins the company, Mat. Although Mat is so different from what Ava likes and feels comfortable with, she quickly falls under his spell after a brief time finding him repulsive. The book follows Ava's and the company's relationship with Mat, a man of charm and so much more...
I really enjoyed a lot about this book. From the outset, the writing style and the world we were living in was clear. Ava's rigidity was shown through the way that the prose was crafted, with little intricacies like the capitalisation of STADA furniture names, which Ava always seemed to notice. Ava's rigidity wasn't a barrier to her being likable, it was just enough to understand her struggles and build a reader-character relationship.
I loved that I had literally no idea where the plot was going. It often felt like things were happening really quickly, meaning that the predictable elements of the story passed quickly and allowed the reader to spend some time wallowing in the possibilities.
There was also an overall hipster feel to the book. You had a quirky company which made furniture, a manager who barreled in with so many of those classic bro management techniques and the overall setting on Brooklyn with its independent businesses. It felt timely, cosily fitting in to where we are now with culture.
A solid book which is worth devouring, as you will devour it.
This is the story of Ava, a designer at a company called STADA, who has a backstory which means she has become a little bit reclusive. The story quite quickly takes us into this backstory, though it's clear that Ava has always been slightly shy, even prior to those events. She is quite rigid with her ways and likes to work hard and be at home with her dog, Brutus.
Things change for Ava when a new manager joins the company, Mat. Although Mat is so different from what Ava likes and feels comfortable with, she quickly falls under his spell after a brief time finding him repulsive. The book follows Ava's and the company's relationship with Mat, a man of charm and so much more...
I really enjoyed a lot about this book. From the outset, the writing style and the world we were living in was clear. Ava's rigidity was shown through the way that the prose was crafted, with little intricacies like the capitalisation of STADA furniture names, which Ava always seemed to notice. Ava's rigidity wasn't a barrier to her being likable, it was just enough to understand her struggles and build a reader-character relationship.
I loved that I had literally no idea where the plot was going. It often felt like things were happening really quickly, meaning that the predictable elements of the story passed quickly and allowed the reader to spend some time wallowing in the possibilities.
There was also an overall hipster feel to the book. You had a quirky company which made furniture, a manager who barreled in with so many of those classic bro management techniques and the overall setting on Brooklyn with its independent businesses. It felt timely, cosily fitting in to where we are now with culture.
A solid book which is worth devouring, as you will devour it.