The Imperfectionists, by author Tom Rachman is a New York Times best seller. The book features eleven chapters from the viewpoints of eleven different characters, all contributing to one major story arch. It reads like a short story and takes the reader a chapter or two to figure out exactly what all these characters have in common.
The story revolves around a newspaper in Rome. The correspondents are largely American, all having found their way to the paper in one form or another. There's a lot of cubicle mentality happening in the book, so if you're a fan of shows like The Office, this might appeal to you. It's written in the third person point of view, with narration happening between every chapter, stingily giving up details as to how we got to the present.
They say to never judge a book by it's cover, but I'll admit to being intrigued. Words like "Spectacular", "Magnificent", and "Beguiling" appear next to the publications giving this novel such high reviews. It has the New York Times sticker of approval on the lower right hand corner and a smaller Random House Reader's Circle on the upper right. By all accounts, this should be a great book.
We begin with a character named Lloyd Burko, an aging and defunct Paris correspondent, who's on his way out. His money has gone the way of his charm, fleeting and currently in the back pocket of much younger lover, whom he allows to get sexual satisfaction from another in light of his now diminished libido.
The next notable story line features Arthur Gopal. He's probably the most likable character in the book and naturally, the one highlights of reading the novel. If Rachman had stuck to writing the story from Arthur's point of view, I probably would have had a more enjoyable reading experience.
There are nine more chapters in this book and only two of them are really worth reading. It really felt like the author had a bunch of short stories and slapped them together to make a book. I don't know if the book got so many rave reviews because the publications giving them were all newspapers or if I'm missing something. It felt like one of those dour first novels that writers create because they want to be taken seriously. Avant- Garde or something. There wasn't much depth to the book nor was it one of those light and simply entertaining books that we all indulge in from time to time. The writing wasn't bad but it lacked substance. I didn't learn anything from this book, nor was I entertained in any way. It didn't transport me to anyplace I wanted to be. It was absolutely dreary.
Unfortunately, I bought this book. I thought I would give it away like I did with Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I can't hardly give a badly reviewed book out so I'll probably donate it to the library. If you'd like to read it, I suggest you get it there.
