'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris is a satirical novel that delves into the dynamics of workplace relationships within a failing advertising agency in Chicago. The story is narrated from a collective first-person perspective, providing insights into the everyday lives, gossip, and office intrigues of the employees facing layoffs and uncertainty about their future. The writing style captures the humor, cynicism, and absurdity of office life, portraying the characters as a mix of quirky, relatable individuals navigating the challenges of corporate America.

Characters:

The characters are drawn from a diverse workplace, exhibiting quirks but often lacking depth, making it hard for readers to connect with them individually.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is a unique first person plural, providing a collective perspective on the characters, though it sometimes feels disjointed and can lack clarity.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a group of quirky office workers navigating the challenges of the dot-com bust, lay-offs, and workplace dynamics through a series of anecdotes rather than a traditional narrative.

Setting:

The setting is a Chicago advertising agency grappling with the challenges of the dot-com bust, highlighting office life and its associated dynamics.

Pacing:

The pacing varies throughout the novel, with slow sections that can feel drawn out, contrasted by humorous or poignant moments that drive the narrative.

LAYOFFS — TOM’S FINAL HOUR — JANINE GORJANC’S TRAGEDY — THE DOWNTURN — DRASTIC MEASURES — THE DEBATE OVER TOM — CREEPY PICTURES — THE STORY OF TOM MOTA’S CHAIR — WALKING SPANISH DOWN THE HALL — SANDER...

Notes:

The book is set in a Chicago advertising agency during the dot com bust.

It uses a unique first person plural narrative style, where 'we' represents the collective experience of the employees.

The story explores themes of redundancy, gossip, and personal struggles in a corporate environment.

Many readers found the characters relatable, often recognizing aspects of their own office experiences.

It includes a poignant interlude focusing on a character's battle with cancer, which adds depth to the narrative.

The book has been compared to popular TV shows like The Office and movies like Office Space for its humor and portrayal of office life.

It was well-received and won multiple awards, including one for best first novel.

Some readers reported that the tone shifts from humor to a more serious undertone as the story progresses.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book deals with themes like mental health issues, death, and job loss, which may be triggering for some readers.

From The Publisher:

Joshua Ferris's Then We Came to the End is one of the most acutely observed, dazzling American debuts of recent years.

They spend their days - and too many of their nights - at work. Away from friends and family, they share a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers they call colleagues.

There's Chris Yop, clinging to his ergonomic chair; Lynn Mason, the boss, whose breast cancer everyone pretends not to talk about; Carl Garbedian, secretly taking someone else's medication; Marcia Dwyer, whose hair is stuck in the eighties; and Benny, who's just - well, just Benny. Amidst the boredom, redundancies, water cooler moments, meetings, flirtations and pure rage, life is happening, to their great surprise, all around them.

Then We Came to the End is about sitting all morning next to someone you cross the road to avoid at lunch. It's the story of your life and mine.

'Very funny, intense and exhilarating . . . For the first time in fiction, it has truly captured the way we work' The Times

'As dazzling as Franzen's The Corrections and as confident as Tartt's The Secret History . . . Exceptional, very funny' Daily Telegraph

'Slick, sophisticated and very funny, Ferris's cracking debut has modern Everyman fighting for his identity in an increasingly impersonal world' Daily Mail

Joshua Ferris was born in Illinois in 1974. He is the author of Then We Came to the End (2007), which was nominated for the National Book Award and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and the highly acclaimedThe Unnamed. In 2010 he was selected for the New Yorker's prestigious '20 under 40' list. To Rise Again at a Decent Hour was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014 and the Dylan Thomas Prize 2014. He lives in New York.

Ratings (9)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (5)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (20):

Read It (9)
Want To Read (7)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (2)

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About the Author:

Joshua Ferris was born in Illinois in 1974. He is the author of four novels and one collection of short stories. His debut, Then We Came to the End, won the PEN/Hemingway award and was shortlisted for the National Book Award and his most recent novel, To Rise Again at A Decent Hour, was nominated for the Booker Prize and won the Dylan Thomas Prize. He lives in upstate New York.

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Then We Came to the End

Joshua Ferris