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ginbott's review against another edition
3.0
In this novel Park uses three distinctively different techniques, dividing the novel into separate parts. While you could argue this works for an office setting, certainly the middle part feels contrived and unnecessary. The use of first-person plural mostly works, as does the more personal email-form used for the novel’s ending. If Park had decided to use one form of narration the novel might have benefitted as a whole.
The start-stop nature of the narrative does not allow the reader to bond with any of the characters, but it could be argued this is intentional. Starting relatively strong with the collective ‘we’, this style is never revisited after the first section and in later parts of the novel the reader only interacts with the characters from a distance, never again feeling part of the action. The characters are not well-rounded and mostly easily forgotten.
The daily grind these co-workers find themselves is presented to the reader in a witty and recognizable manner. However, once the actual plot takes hold the novel becomes confused in its intentions. Particularly towards the very end the credibility is stretched to within an inch of its life.
This novel has a strong start; Park manages to capture something true and familiar about office life with a real sense of humour. However, the plot feels contrived and does not demand much from the reader. There is something cliché and overworked about the storyline which deters from the initial enjoyment.
Park triumphs in terms of winning the reader over in the first couple of pages. There is a kind of ease, intelligence and sense of fun about his writing which is engaging. We are left with a light read not without merit, but in terms of story and character development the novel is not as strong as the very similar Then We Came to the End
The start-stop nature of the narrative does not allow the reader to bond with any of the characters, but it could be argued this is intentional. Starting relatively strong with the collective ‘we’, this style is never revisited after the first section and in later parts of the novel the reader only interacts with the characters from a distance, never again feeling part of the action. The characters are not well-rounded and mostly easily forgotten.
The daily grind these co-workers find themselves is presented to the reader in a witty and recognizable manner. However, once the actual plot takes hold the novel becomes confused in its intentions. Particularly towards the very end the credibility is stretched to within an inch of its life.
This novel has a strong start; Park manages to capture something true and familiar about office life with a real sense of humour. However, the plot feels contrived and does not demand much from the reader. There is something cliché and overworked about the storyline which deters from the initial enjoyment.
Park triumphs in terms of winning the reader over in the first couple of pages. There is a kind of ease, intelligence and sense of fun about his writing which is engaging. We are left with a light read not without merit, but in terms of story and character development the novel is not as strong as the very similar Then We Came to the End
dkai's review against another edition
3.0
The crowning achievement of this book is effective execution of the "corporate we" point of view. Paying attention to the pronoun usage throughout the book is fascinating, despite the drudgery of all but the last section. If you've started, I recommend speed reading to the final section.
clone's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
alisynamant's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
marypmcg's review against another edition
2.0
Eh. Not as funny as I was led to expect by a friend or the back cover. Kind of depressing to read during a time of mass layoffs. I will give this book away at my library's book swap today. Maybe someone else will enjoy it more, and I will get something better in return.
ghostbird12's review against another edition
4.5
wow wow wow….what a wild ending, i absolutely loved it. really ties together the futility and meaninglessness of corporate life. enjoyed the structure as well, especially the first part which is told with the pronoun “we”.
>> “You said yourself, once, waiting for stuff by the asthmatic printer, that the office generates at least one book, no, one novel every day, in the form of correspondence and memos and
>> “You said yourself, once, waiting for stuff by the asthmatic printer, that the office generates at least one book, no, one novel every day, in the form of correspondence and memos and
reports, all the reams of numbers, hundreds of sentences, thousands of words, but no one has the mind to understand it, no one has the eyes to take it all in, all these potential epics, War and Peace lying in between the lines”
ohheyemilyk's review against another edition
4.0
strangely compelling. far more than I had expected. This was good.
drbird's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fast-moving book that also requires patience. It DOES all come together in part 3 -- not because the first two sections are faulty, but because the reality of one of the characters ends up making a great statement about the world that the other characters drift through in parts 1 & 2. Ed Park has a great sense of control over his narrative, especially considering how easy it would be to jump all over the place infinitely, there is a clear movement from character to character here. Are all the anecdotes elaborate? no -- but I felt like even the little, seemingly innocuous anecdotes ended up contributing to the overall themes and characters.
Not sure everyone would love this or find it funny (I spent time in a company eerily similar, so lots seemed familiar), but I thought this was well done and look forward to his future work!
Not sure everyone would love this or find it funny (I spent time in a company eerily similar, so lots seemed familiar), but I thought this was well done and look forward to his future work!