"The Imperfectionists" by Tom Rachman tells the story of an English-language newspaper based in Rome, from the point of view of its employees. Each chapter is fashioned like a short story, yet the reader experiences the continuity of a novel. I loved the way one character might be in the background of one of the chapters, mentioned in passing - but then reader has the opportunity to get to the know that same character more deeply in another chapter. It's almost as though the author is giving the characters another chance to re-shape their first impressions on the reader. The stories range from comical to tragic - all eliciting the readers' compassion for the vulnerability and insecurities displayed by the various protagonists. Each vignette is punctuated by a glimpse into the past - how the paper was established by the whim of an American tycoon in the early 1950's and how the paper has varying degrees of success in the decades to follow. The book is timely because it captures the sense of helplessness felt by the newspaper industry, which isn't able to handle the ever shrinking attention span of a fickle consumer, not to mention the stiff competition from 24-hour cable news channels and the internet.
Readers will find themselves laughing as well as moved as they journey through the lives of the journalists, interns, editors and others whose careers have been touched by "the paper". The book is a stunning debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
