Shanice Harris

During the 4th of July holiday, I decided to take a trip back home to Pennsylvania. On the plane back to my medium-sized town of Harrisburg, I was wrapping up a book that a friend of mine recommended to me. The novel, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon, is a beautiful look into the mind of a young boy named Christopher, who is living with autism, and his quest to find out who killed his neighbor’s dog. He soon discovers more about his own existence in his hunt to do so.

The book was a nice change from what I usually read. The point-of-view puts you inside Christopher’s head, which can be discombobulating at times, but you get to see the world through the lens of this young boy. The book soon turns from a murder-mystery to a shocking relevant that turns Christopher’s world upside down.

Sitting in my parents' home, I needed a new book to sink my teeth into. I made the short trip to 2nd and Charles, one of the only remaining bookstores in my hometown. I entered the doorway and peered around the huge room. The bright orange decor bringing back memories when this safe haven first opened. I browsed the tall shelves and made my way to the Associate’s Choice table near the middle of the store. I came across a book by Camille Perri, an author I was not familiar with...The Assistants. The cover was fun. It was orange, matching the walls of 2nd and Charles, and was covered with illustrations of spilled coffee cups and a pair of wing-tipped shoes. I decided to take a chance.

The book follows Tina Fontana, a 30-year-old assistant to the biggest media mogul in the world. While Tina has a hard time even making the rent for her tiny, rat-infested apartment in Brooklyn, her boss spends that in one day on a pair of new golf clubs. Tina soon finds her way into an embezzlement scam after she pays off her crippling student loan debt with the company’s money.

The book is satisfying. But, it reads a little young, in my opinion. Tina and her partner in crime, Emily, read more as young 20-somethings than their actual age of 28 and 30. That may have been Perri’s intention. If so, it is a commentary on how student loan debt and the state of the workforce cripples millennials to the point that they aren’t even allowed to mature in their craft as fast or as efficiently as prior generations. Tina’s relationship with her boss, Robert, could have been better explored. Tina’s struggle with the Robert she knew and the Robert that the world knew could have been better explored. Perri starts to show us that conflict, but the novel is over before we truly get to see that divide.

Overall, I’d recommend it as a quickie if you need a break from some of your usual reads. Even if some things could have been expanded on, it is solid commentary on the corporate word, the people at the bottom, and the amount of wealth that stays at the top.

Until next time…

Shanice