Manyebook

Everyday Life

The hiring of a new secretary shouldn't be a big deal — just a slight a change in the office environment. But for the protagonist of this novel, it is a declaration of war, a call to arms: "The new secretary has only been here two days," she says, "and I'm already talking about evil, a word I shouldn't even be using — arming myself for battle and choosing my weapons." Her quiet life of sacrifice and service has been rudely disrupted by the new hire, and she is not — despite the advice of her doctor, her neighbors, and her daughter — about to leave it at that. Instead, sabotage, alcohol, and kindness become the arsenal in a conflict fought across copy rooms and office parties. But the humor is undercut by a sadness, a sense of defeat that makes this slim novel resonate with the injustice of our increasingly impersonal, corporate world.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 119
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781564783493
  • Genres
  • fiction, france
  • Release date
  • 2006