More Bookish Thoughts...

Ironically, "The Imperfectionists" is the perfect title for Tom Rachman's brilliant, astute and original debut novel.  Set in Rome, the book describes an English-language newspaper's demise; each chapter (all of which read like short stories) focuses on one individual who is somehow affiliated with the paper.  There's the desperate Paris-based freelancer willing to jeopardize his son's career for a byline, the lazy obituary writer whose life is transformed by tragedy, the imperious editor-in-chief whose open marriage is on the fritz and the most hilarious rookie Cairo correspondent who is ruthlessly manipulated by a competitor.

Though "imperfect" to a fault, Rachman's characters come across as authentic and endearing.  Yes, they gripe and annoy each other but their stories are so real, so poignant and so strongly imagined that together they form one winner of a novel.