A review by storyonlystory
Company by Max Barry
4.0
You may remember when I read Machine Man by Max Barry and I remember it being enjoyable. I decided I need something lighthearted to read right now and what better than some crafty satire.
This is the story of a strange Company in which nobody really knows what the company does and everyone’s job sort of folds back into the company. The sales reps sell training packages to the rest of the departments. Infrastructure management charges everyone for management in the building, charging departments for the use of windows and computers and phone lines.
Since there is a pay freeze Jones gets hired on in Sales but on paper it says that he is, well, paper. A purchase of paper.
Jones gets curious about the oddities of the company and starts to seek answers but he is told a parable about monkey’s in a lab that is meant to discourage his curiosity.
A large part of the beginning of the book focuses not on Jones but on the other characters in the sales office. A man who won’t stop obsessing over who took his doughnut, a woman who falls in love with her customers up until the deal is done, another woman who works out in the gym all day, a man who is secretly in love with the beautiful receptionist on the ground floor, etc. etc.
It isn’t until Jones finally figures out whats really going on in the company that his story becomes central to the book.
It’s a light and easy read, fun for anybody who has ever suffered in a cubicle farm in a windowless room all day. It’s a satirical examination of how evil big companies can be to their employees and why having one of these jobs really sucks the soul out of you.
I really enjoyed reading Company but the ending was a little lacking. It built up to a huge shit-hits-the-fan, let’s-start-a-riot moment and then just cut off and went to a One-Year-Later situation. Not the worst way to write an ending and I know its really hard to write endings but I felt like it was a bit of a cop-out.
Still glad I read it and it’s still a four star rating from me. I like this author a lot and will probably read another of his before long.
This is the story of a strange Company in which nobody really knows what the company does and everyone’s job sort of folds back into the company. The sales reps sell training packages to the rest of the departments. Infrastructure management charges everyone for management in the building, charging departments for the use of windows and computers and phone lines.
Since there is a pay freeze Jones gets hired on in Sales but on paper it says that he is, well, paper. A purchase of paper.
Jones gets curious about the oddities of the company and starts to seek answers but he is told a parable about monkey’s in a lab that is meant to discourage his curiosity.
A large part of the beginning of the book focuses not on Jones but on the other characters in the sales office. A man who won’t stop obsessing over who took his doughnut, a woman who falls in love with her customers up until the deal is done, another woman who works out in the gym all day, a man who is secretly in love with the beautiful receptionist on the ground floor, etc. etc.
It isn’t until Jones finally figures out whats really going on in the company that his story becomes central to the book.
It’s a light and easy read, fun for anybody who has ever suffered in a cubicle farm in a windowless room all day. It’s a satirical examination of how evil big companies can be to their employees and why having one of these jobs really sucks the soul out of you.
I really enjoyed reading Company but the ending was a little lacking. It built up to a huge shit-hits-the-fan, let’s-start-a-riot moment and then just cut off and went to a One-Year-Later situation. Not the worst way to write an ending and I know its really hard to write endings but I felt like it was a bit of a cop-out.
Still glad I read it and it’s still a four star rating from me. I like this author a lot and will probably read another of his before long.