Company
by Max Barry
Published by Doubleday
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Max Barry's clever, quirky and sometimes bizarre satire of corporate America--and those inhabitants that litter its landscape--will bring you to laughter until you realize how frightening the possibilities really are.
Stephen Jones is a young new employee at Zephyr, a Seattle holding company. He's ambitious but his meteoric rise from sales assistant (an almost "untouchable" within the company) to sales rep surprises even him.
But Jones just doesn't understand Zephyr. What do they do? When he learns that questions are frowned on, he takes to quietly investigating on his own. Soon he is catapulted into the ranks of senior management where he learns Zephyr's diabolic mission.
Donuts and the morning sales meeting, pregnancy and job security, physical violence against corporate policy, fighting over parking spaces and the definition of work--all take on new meaning in Company.
Max Barry does a wonderful job lampooning everyone in corporate America in his latest novel, Company. It's a novel that you'll either love or hate. There is no in between. I loved it. It not only made me look closely on my past corporate adventures, but it called on me to question almost everything around me. I won't say I've become paranoid, but I am looking over my shoulder more often these days.
Armchair Interviews says: For a fast read that will leave you thinking about life long after you've turned the final page, Company is a good choice.