The Assistants
Fiction
Putnam Juvenile
May 3, 2016
E-book
288
Publisher via Penguin First to Read
A wry and astute debut about a young Manhattanite whose embezzlement scam turns her into an unlikely advocate for the leagues of overeducated and underpaid assistants across the city. Tina Fontana is the hapless but brazen thirty-year-old executive assistant to Robert Barlow, the all-powerful and commanding CEO of Titan Corp., a multinational media conglomerate. She’s excellent at her job and beloved by her famous boss—but after six years of making his reservations for restaurants she’d never get into on her own and pouring his drinks from bottles that cost more than her rent, she’s bored, broke, and just a bit over it all. When a technical error with Robert’s travel-and-expenses report presents Tina with the opportunity to pay off the entire balance of her student loan debt with what would essentially be pocket change for her boss, she struggles with the decision: She’s always played by the rules. But it’s such a relatively small amount of money for the Titan Corporation—and for her it would be a life-changer . . . The Assistants speaks directly to a new generation of women who feel stuck and unable to get ahead playing by the rules. It will appeal to all of those who have ever asked themselves, “How is it that after all these years, we are still assistants?”
My review:
This is one of those books that makes you question your morals when you start rooting for the characters to succeed. The main character and her associates all work as underpaid assistants to some very powerful, very rich folks in the corporate sector. They are all educated women who also have a mountain of student loan debt in common. When the main character ends up with a check (by mistake) that will get her out of debt, she ultimately uses it to pay off her student debt. A funny thing happens while you are waiting for her to get caught, you may find yourself sucked into the story and surprised by the fallout from her escapade. I'm definitely not going to say this was a deep, literary masterpiece, but I loved Tina (even with her sketchy moral code). The ending was very satisfying and not what I expected.
While this may push some buttons for those who always want to "do the right thing", it's an enjoyable read that just may have you rooting for "the bad girl" to triumph in the end!
I was given the chance to read an advanced copy of this book through the Penguin First to Read program. As always, my opinions are my own. This book has also been chosen by BookSparks as one of their books of May for the SRC2016 (Summer Reading Challenge).
Sounds like the author did her job well if she could make you root for someone with totally questionable morals! I like it! And the premise kind of reminds me of The Devil Wears Prada.
Haha, I know! I couldn't believe I was suckered in 🙂 Very clever writing on the part of the author!
I've seen mixed thoughts on this one, so I'm happy to see it worked well for you. It actually looks pretty interesting to me, and I'm a do the right thing type of person who loves to read about the bad guys winning every now and then.
I'm a do the right thing person as well, so I was surprised by my reaction to this one 🙂
This one keeps popping up in my recommendations list but I didn't know anyone who had read it - thanks for the review, I'm intrigued!
I found it to be very engaging, no matter whose side you are on 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!