THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman (Dial), 269 pages, $29.95 cloth. Rating: NNN
You can tell Tom Rachman worked for the International Herald Tribune. His series of connected short stories, coming to the big screen thanks to Brad Pitt’s production company, is set in the offices of an international English-language newspaper that could only be that unique publication.
On the other hand, The Imperfectionists also reflects an intimate knowledge of the average newsroom and constitutes a love letter to print publications coping with the immense paradigm shift powered by the rise of the internet.
Each story – except one, about a reader – has at its centre an employee of a never-named publication based in Rome. And each character embodies a paradox: the copy editor shows acute attention to detail but can’t see the truth about his oldest friend the business reporter understands everything about profits while allowing her boyfriend to sponge off her the astute editor hires a young wannabe for a stringer job he’s hopelessly unprepared for.
This last story, in which the hapless stringer is manipulated by Snyder, an abusive veteran journalist, is the least successful. Who can believe anyone would hire this know-nothing? And Snyder’s way too broadly drawn.
Interspersed among the 11 stories is an account of the founding of the paper, the history of its leadership and the paper’s descent into insolvency. This is not a spoiler. As soon the editors refuse to launch a website, the end is obviously near.
And that’s one of The Imperfectionists’ problems. It’s vividly written, its characters are compelling, and it evokes its Roman setting expertly. But it ends with a predictable thud.
You also get the feeling that Rachman designed every detail about the entire book before he wrote it, not allowing his ideas to grow and develop. Sometimes a structure can be just a bit too tidy.
Rachman reads, answers questions and signs his book tonight (Thursday, January 13) at Innis Town Hall. See listing.
Write Books at susanc@nowtoronto.com
