Everyday Life (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781564783493)

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.

Author: Lydie Salvayre
ISBN-10: 1564783499
ISBN-13: 9781564783493
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2006
Pages: 119
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 7.90h x 4.90w x 0.40d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 12/17/2006 pg. 23
Library Journal 11/13/2006