Scan barcode
A review by the_sunken_library
Amphibian by Christina Neuwirth
4.0
One day, Rose receives an email from her line manager; due to poor performance amongst the Sales team, management have decided to start slowly flooding the fourth floor of the building to help encourage productivity.
Sound bonkers? That's the premise of the curious little novella that packs such a punch in a handful of pages.
There's a lot to be said about what people will put up with, especially if they function within a group that aren't reacting to the situation, and the people in charge tell you "everything's ok". So Rose puts up with this bizarre situation. As do her colleagues. She strives to adapt, emailing head office practical situations to improve the situation - lockers to get changed after work, waterproof shoes that are professional and practical etc - even while she day dreams of running away to her dream life as a skipper on a boat in Greece. Yes, practical suggestions, not very practical dreams.
I loved the design of the book, how the chapter headings flooded with the passage of time. It was a lovely touch.
I did feel frustrated with the ending, if unsurprised. My main gripe was I wanted to understand more about the larger world and how or why companies would think this a great way of improving performance, and also what the hell she actually sold. Was it literally just bits of paper with random promises on? That wasn't specified as clearly or coherently as it could have been.
Otherw, se I highly recommend this quick read. Excellent writing, compelling narrative, curious characters. I really hope more is published by this author.
Sound bonkers? That's the premise of the curious little novella that packs such a punch in a handful of pages.
There's a lot to be said about what people will put up with, especially if they function within a group that aren't reacting to the situation, and the people in charge tell you "everything's ok". So Rose puts up with this bizarre situation. As do her colleagues. She strives to adapt, emailing head office practical situations to improve the situation - lockers to get changed after work, waterproof shoes that are professional and practical etc - even while she day dreams of running away to her dream life as a skipper on a boat in Greece. Yes, practical suggestions, not very practical dreams.
I loved the design of the book, how the chapter headings flooded with the passage of time. It was a lovely touch.
I did feel frustrated with the ending, if unsurprised. My main gripe was I wanted to understand more about the larger world and how or why companies would think this a great way of improving performance, and also what the hell she actually sold. Was it literally just bits of paper with random promises on? That wasn't specified as clearly or coherently as it could have been.
Otherw, se I highly recommend this quick read. Excellent writing, compelling narrative, curious characters. I really hope more is published by this author.