Review: "The Imperfectionists" by Tom Rachman

When I got this book, The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman it was a complete mystery as to what I was getting into. I had not read any of its reviews (it came out before I started buying Bookmarks Magazine). I had extra money and extra space in my bookshelf, and Borders was closing so it was half off. I am always looking out for new writers who have only published one book or collection of short stories. I like being there when someone great and talented is just starting out, so when they become great in the future, I can say I saw their evolution as a talent. It is why I have so eagerly and emphatically praised the young authors like Karen Russell, Tea Obreht, Joshua Ferris, and Wells Tower, while I do not actively seek out dead authors. I love the mystery and intrigue of what can come next from them, which you cannot get from dead authors obviously, even through rereading them. As for this one? I was, for the most part, pleasantly surprised. Rachman has a great grasp of what goes on in any kind of workplace. This novel, which is really a collection of linked short stories, deals with the many people with offbeat problems who work for an English language paper in Rome. It shows these people at some of their worst moments and with these sobering events comes a new kind of realization that life goes on, even if the newspaper does not report it. My favorite piece is the one involving a lowly aspiring journalist who is walked over, taunted, and finally screwed over by a more charismatic yet shallow reporter. It is sickening to read, simply because it is true. People will always flock to the more outwardly unique person, despite the fact that they are not a good person and always think only of themselves. While that part is a shining example of this books qualities, it is not perfect. It transitions immediately from place to place, which is jarring and annoying. And the little tidbits in between chapters describing the papers origins are not very interesting. But I still give this book a high B, very far from a waste of time.

Rating: 4/5