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July 17, 2007

Summer reading

Much to my dismay, the summer is half over. I've spent most of it getting on airplanes, driving to swim meets, and sitting in front of my computer not writing. Sigh.

But I have managed to do some reading. And now, on this midsummer's night, I can offer you two recommendations.

n221477.jpgThe first is Then We Came to The End, a scarily impressive first novel by Joshua Ferris. The book tells the story of a Chicago ad agency in the midst of a meltdown. But it's really about the people who work there, the bonds and antagonisms they form, and the weird connections we have to people we see every day on the job. The book is so much about the common experience of work that the author manages to narrate the whole thing using "we," quite a feat of literary derring-do. Plus, the novel offers keen observations about the anthropology of white-collar life -- from the magnetic pull of free bagels to the pathos of an empty office -- as well as pitch-perfect office banter. Highly recommended.

The other is Fun Home, a graphic novel by Allison Bechdel. 9780618871711.jpgThis one's a memoir -- and it's riveting. Allison grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in semi-rural Pennsylvania in a frosty, loveless household. Her dad, who inherited the family funeral home (the "fun home" of the title), teaches high school English and obsesses about home decor. Her mother, meanwhile, spends her time finishing her dissertation and memorizing her lines for community theater productions. It turns out that Dad is gay -- not exactly something people during that time and in that place are keen to acknowledge. And his frequent dalliances and indiscretions, which Allison slowly learns about, eventually take their toll on family. But as Allison come of age, she discovers that she and her emotionally distant father have at least one bond: She's a lesbian. As you can imagine, complications ensue. This is one of the few books I've encountered recently that I literally couldn't put down. It's the best graphic work I've read since Persepolis.

Posted by Dan Pink at July 17, 2007 08:20 PM

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