BOOK REVIEW: And Then We Came To The End - Joshua Ferris

And Then We Came To The End is the story of a group of 'creatives' weathering the storm of redundancies and the fallout out of the US economy in the cubicles and offices of a marketing company, told in a style reminiscent of Douglas Coupland.

It's individual quirk is that there is no clear main character, instead following the fates of the employees as a coherent group, reflecting the introverted and inbred dynamic, using 'us' and 'we' as they gossip and bitch about the pariah of the moment. It soon becomes apparent that this is no dry reflection of capitalism or modern culture (while is this is lampooned in the background) but a much more bizarre and fantastical tale told in a world of emails, meetings and water cooler discussions, highlighted best by the scene where an ex-employee goes on a rampage through the office with what transpires to be paintball guns.

For a debut book, this suprises and delights, remaining light and readable while touching upon disconnection from reality and emotional contact in a corporate environment.

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Hello, I am back.

Rosie and I have new bikes:
They are called Josh and Jenny.

(PS. Back from Europe, travelling)