5 stars This is a seriously funny book, and once you get past the Britishisms, easy to read. Unfortunately, there were quite a few phrases that I was forced to look up because I didn’t understand them. For example, there’s a character to whom Nick Spalding keeps referring at the beginning with varying names (Hugh Burnley Fishingstool, Hugh Wormley Fittingshawl, Hugh Turnley Wobblingschool) which I can only assume are a play on words of some famous British person, but I don’t know for sure. It was funny, but I felt like I was missing something. Nick Spalding has a gift for turning a phrase into something hysterical (like “a pair of pants that feel like they’re garrotting your undercarriage” or “Seeing him all twitchy and out of sorts is like watching a sloth breakdancing”), and as if that weren’t enough, he also creates the most ridiculous and hilarious situations, which are described in excruciating detail for maximum effect The writing is from the POV of Ellie, told in first-person present-tense. There’s a certain self-awareness that is very endearing and makes her relatable. After having introduced most of her coworkers during various parts of the narrative, Ellie mentions a nondescript young man named Adrian: “If Young Adrian was a character in a novel, he most certainly would only ever be one of the bit players, and probably wouldn’t even get mentioned until at least chapter five.” It was chapter five. After referring to “passionate kissing by the ficus,” Ellie says, “If I ever write a fictionalized account of my office romance with Nolan, that will probably be the title of the book,” in a statement dripping with irony. Ellie is not an environmentalist at the beginning of the novel. Her description of a new vegan food (crispy tofu) that she tries made me laugh: “This isn’t food. This is the negation of food. The repudiation of everything food stands for. It is the anti-food. If I just ate this every day, I’d be dead of starvation in a week.” This is followed up by her experience tasting beetroot, spelt, and lentil chili, which, not surprisingly, is so spicy her “FACE EXPLODES.” She continues: “If crispy tofu is the negation of food, then this chili is the unequivocal reinforcement of food as a concept. This the most food I have ever had in my mouth. My entire being is instantly consumed by it. There is now only the vegan chili and my poor, poor taste buds in this universe, locked in a dance of death.” It should go without saying that Elie is a bit histrionic and prone to exaggeration. Characters in this book are unique, memorable, and amusing, from the nominally determined Kevin Flounder to Mordred, a man with a beard of such consequence, “a beard of such overwhelming beardness that I’m surprised there aren’t other smaller beards, currently circling in its gravitational influence…. Watching Mordred get nearer is what it must feel like to be stalked by an enraged, ambulatory hedge.” Overall, I really enjoyed the book and found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. I particularly enjoyed the ending—a true hero’s journey with a resilient character who emerges from difficulties stronger than ever and inspires the reader to do the same. I highly recommend it. January 16, 2021
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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