I just started a new job this week, at a relatively large company. As I navigate new processes and procedures, a confusing office map, a bunch of people who seem to all have the same first name, and typical office bureaucracy, I thought I'd feature a book here that came out in 2007 which I haven't read yet. I was reminded of Company, by Max Barry, in my 2009 Page-A-Day Book Lover's Calendar last month. Here's the blurb:
Australian Max Barry's third novel is a biting and hilarious satire of modern corporate culture: outsourcing, stolen doughnuts, downsizing, "human resources", office politics, and all the rest. It has a nice twisty plot that revels in the absurd and the sinister. If your days are spend in the confines of an office cubicle, Company may be just the thing to maximize the potential of your water-cooler chat effectiveness.
This Week at the Library Blog reviewed Company and "found the book to be very entertaining, at times reminding me of "The Office" and of a particular John Cleese clip. Not only is it an entertaining novel by itself, but it functions also as a criticism of corporate culture."
Used Books Blog didn't like Company nearly as much: "My copy of Company has the image of a glazed donut on the
cover, which I find an apt metaphor: sweet sugary exterior with nothing
but airy dough on the inside. Oh, and there’s a hole in the middle and
it’s not at all nutritious."
The last book I read skewering the American workplace was Then We Came To The End, by Joshua Ferris, which I didn't really like. (Review here). I am kind of leery of this one, but I am willing to give it a chance, given how ripe for satire so many workplaces are. (Not mine, though – I am very happy to be here!)
Can anyone weigh in on Company and let me know how you liked it?