- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; 1st edition (Mar 6 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0006392466
- ISBN-13: 978-0330364515
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,190,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
Office politics and misguided lust collide in Rob Payne’s hilarious newnovel
Praise for Rob Payne:
"Think Nick Hornby or even Roddy Doyle…adds a much-needed rebel yellto…CanLit."
¾ Eye Magazine
"What a hoot! Quirky and original…"
¾ Will Ferguson, author of Happiness
"…a surprisingly heartfelt book."
¾ Quill & Quire
My Life is ticking away one subway token at a time…
Thus begins 30-year old Jay Thompson’s tale of life in Corporate Purgatory.From the individual production modules (a.k.a. cubicles), KGB-stylereceptionists, and inept bosses with Rod Stewart hair, life has never been easyat HMS Trust’s head office.
Things are about to get a lot worse.
Thanks to his "high accuracy" assessment (which took the employmentagency all of one hour to complete), Jay lands the biggestpromotion-with-out-pay in his life – as the reluctant head of a chaotic callcentre full of temps, at peak season.
Enter young Samantha, a temp with more flirtatious energy than Helena BonhamCarter. And of course Jan, Jay’s longtime live-in girlfriend (a second-yeardoctoral student majoring in English Literature/Antisocial Neglect of Her LifePartner); best friend Tyler (dispenser of suspect advice, part-timeRingo Starr impersonator); brother Sheldon (armed with a major life-changingannouncement); and psychotic parents Jim and Sharon, who take bitterrecrimination to all-star levels.
What we get is an honest, wickedly funny and ruthlessly disenchanting look atlife, love, and middle management in the Age of the Corporation.
About the Author
ROB PAYNE is the author of Live by Request and Working Class Zero. The former editor of Quarry magazine, he has edited two anthologies of Canadian short fiction, Carrying the Fire and Pop Goes the Story. His writing has appeared in such publications as Canadian Fiction magazine, Zygote and Front & Centre. He has also written for the sketch comedy troupe What's On Tap? Rob Payne has lived in Ottawa, Yokohama and Perth, and recently returned to Toronto.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Working Class Zero,
By Marc (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Working Class Zero (Paperback)
Hillarious!! Its a quick read and lots of laughs. I can relate all to well to the cubicle world that the lead character, Jay Thompson finds himself in. I love the description of the corporate world and especially his co-workers - Sport Guy and the management staff. I like the way the story weaves in his personal life , so you get a view of his live-in girlfriend, wacky friends and family. I see a lot of myself and my friends in the characters described in the book. My only criticism is that the book is too short - its a quick read and I miss the characters! I'm ordering Live By Request today. Thanks Rob, I look forward to your next book!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
2.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
If You Are Paying Zero Dollars, Give This a Go,
By James N Simpson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Working Class Zero (Paperback)
Working Class Zero is fairly predictable, there aren't really any surprises or twists and nothing much really has happened when you read the final page but if there is nothing else in your local library even remotely interesting this will pass the time. This genre of office thriller/humorous business novels has however been done much better by other authors. Check out Syrup by Maxx Barry, Being Alexander by Nancy Sparling or Paranoia by Joseph Finder which are masterpieces of this type of novel.Working Class Zero if you haven't read it is about Jay Thompson who is in a job he hates and is having a bit of a mid life crisis wondering where his Rockn'Roll career ambitions of his youth went and if he really loves his girlfriend or should sleep with the hot new temp he is in charge with. The best chapters are in the office where Jay has to deal with stuck up and unfair colleagues and management but nothing really memorable really ever happens.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Total dud of a book - don't waste your time with it,
By Shane - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Working Class Zero (Paperback)
Very predictable, poorly written, with the only half-decent lines in the book stolen straight from Fight Club. I paid $2.00 for this book from the bargain bin, and after reading it felt as though I had paid far too much for it.I would absolutely recommend NOT reading this book - watching paint dry or grass grow would be preferable. 0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Working Class Zero,
By Marc - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Working Class Zero (Paperback)
Hillarious!! Its a quick read and lots of laughs. I can relate all to well to the cubicle world that the lead character, Jay Thompson finds himself in. I love the description of the corporate world and especially his co-workers - Sport Guy and the management staff. I like the way the story weaves in his personal life , so you get a view of his live-in girlfriend, wacky friends and family. I see a lot of myself and my friends in the characters described in the book. My only criticism is that the book is too short - its a quick read and I miss the characters! I'm ordering Live By Request today. Thanks Rob, I look forward to your next book!
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