"She happens to like their infantile humor- it's her taste, too. But they never include her."

The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman


Totally late on this post.  I blame my tardiness on the fact that this was an excruciating difficult book for me to complete. Sure, it's a New York Times bestseller but, unfortunately, not one of my favorites.

Unbeknownst to me when I first made my purchase, this book consists of eleven short stories (one for each chapter) focusing on the personal lives of various characters that are all in some way connected to an international newspaper company set in Rome, Italy.  Each chapter is a story in and of itself, however simultaneously overlapping with the others to make a complete picture by the end of the novel.

I found it challenging to relate or root for the characters detailed in this novel.  Every chapter or story ended in some tragic way.  Whether it was being taken advantage of by a colleague, or discovering your partner is having an affair, or being purposely humiliated..... the list goes on and on.  Honestly, it was an arduous task to even finish a chapter knowing the character you started to empathize with was about to have some misfortune bestowed upon him or her.  No, thanks.

By all means, it was not a book for me.  However, if anyone would like to borrow it, let me know, because I have no hesitations lending this one out!