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The Imperfectionists
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The Imperfectionists (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Tom Rachman (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Rome, Tom Rachman’s wry, vibrant debut follows the topsy-turvy private lives of the reporters, editors and executives of an international English language newspaper as they struggle to keep it — and themselves — afloat. Spirited, moving and highly original,... read more

Summary edit see section history

Fifty years and many changes have ensued since the paper was founded by an enigmatic millionaire, and now, amid the stained carpeting and dingy office furniture, the staff’s personal dramas seem far more important than the daily headlines. Kathleen, the imperious editor in chief, is smarting... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Fifty years and many changes have ensued since the paper was founded by an enigmatic millionaire, and now, amid the stained carpeting and dingy office furniture, the staff’s personal dramas seem far more important than the daily headlines. Kathleen, the imperious editor in chief, is smarting from a betrayal in her open marriage; Arthur, the lazy obituary writer, is transformed by a personal tragedy; Abby, the embattled financial officer, discovers that her job cuts and her love life are intertwined in a most unexpected way. Out in the field, a veteran Paris freelancer goes to desperate lengths for his next byline, while the new Cairo stringer is mercilessly manipulated by an outrageous war correspondent with an outsize ego. And in the shadows is the isolated young publisher who pays more attention to his prized basset hound, Schopenhauer, than to the fate of his family’s quirky newspaper. As the era of print news gives way to the Internet age and this imperfect crew stumbles toward an uncertain future, the paper’s rich history is revealed, including the surprising truth about its founder’s intentions.

Characters edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “The paper is hardly at the cutting edge of technology – it doesn't even have a website. And circulation isn't increasing. The balance sheet is a catastrophe, losses mount annually.”
  • “Dude, let's commit some journalism.”
    Snyder
  • “The Internet is to news what car horns are to music.”
  • “He arrives at work, flops into his rolling chair, and remains still. This persists until inertia and continued employment cease to be mutually tenable, at which point he wriggles off his overcoat, flicks on the computer, and checks the latest news reports.”
  • “If history has taught us anything, Arthur muses, it is that men with mustaches must never achieve positions of power.”
  • “. literally: This word should be deleted. All too often, actions described as "literally" did not happen at all. As in, "He literally jumped out of his skin." No, he did not. Though if he literally had, I'd suggest raising the element and proposing the piece for page one. Inserting "literally" willy-nilly reinforces the notion that breathless nitwits lurk within this newsroom. Eliminate on sight - the usage, not the nitwits. The nitwits are to be captured and placed in the cages I have set up in the subbasement. See also: Excessive Dashes; Exclamation Points; and Nitwits.”
  • “She can't help it: she's of the newspapering temperament, and he's no longer front page. When, she wonders, do people have time to contemplate anything? But she has no time to answer that.”
  • “"I suspect revenge is one of those things that's better in principle than in practice. I mean, there's no real satisfaction in making someone else suffer because you have… I mean, is the point to get justice- to balance out something unfair? Nothing does that. Is it to make you feel better? It wouldn't make you feel better… The way to get over stuff, I think, is by forgetting. But there's no way to 'fix' in the way you mean. Not in my opinion."”
  • “My sister says everyone who's gonna make it is already on their way by thirty.”
  • “It’s not yours. It’s just information. Doesn’t belong to anybody. It exists independent of you.”
  • “The personality is constantly dying and it feels like continuity. Meanwhile, we panic about death, which we cannot ever experience. Yet it is this illogical fear that motivates our lives.”
  • “Can you imagine a force in the universe greater than this? Not in my universe. You know, even from earliest childhood it dominated me. I longed for achievements, to be influential-that, in particular. To sway people. This has been my religion: the belief that I deserve attention, that they are wrong not to listen, that those who dispute me are fools. Yet, no matter what I achieve, the world lives on, impertinent, indifferent- I know all this but I can't get it through my head.”
  • “You know, there's that silly saying 'We're born alone and we die alone'- it's nonsense. We're surrounded at birth and surrounded at death. It is in between that we're alone.”
  • “"He didn't leave me his mind, the bastard."”
  • “For many, especially those in remote locales, the paper is their only link to the greater world, to the big cities they left, or the big cities they have never seen, only built in their minds.”
  • “There's no such thing as talent, kid.”
Show all 16 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

Lloyd shoves off the bedcovers and hurries to the front door in white underwear and black socks.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. "Bush Slumps to New Low in Polls" Paris Correspondent - Lloyd Burko
2. "World's Oldest Liar Dies at 126" Obituary Writer - Arthur Gopal
3. "Europeans are Lazy, Study Says" Business Reporter - Hardy Benjamin
4. "Global Warming Good for Ice Creams" Corrections Editor - Herman Cohen
5. "U.S. General Optimistic on War" Editor-in-Chief - Kathleen Solson
6. "The Sex Lives of Islamic Extremists" Cairo Stringer - Winston Cheung
7. "Kooks with Nukes" Copy Editor - Ruby Zaga
8. "76 Die in Baghdad Bombings" News Editor - Craig Menzies
9. "Cold War Over, Hot War Begins" Reader - Ornella de Monterecchi
10. "Markets Crash Over Fears of China Slowdowns" Chief Financial Officer - Abbey Pinnola
11. "Gunman Kills 32 in Campus Rampage" Publisher - Oliver Ott

Acknowledgments

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Rainy Day Books (Staff Picks for 2010). (community list)
This book is in Amazon Book Club Picks. (authoritative list)
This book is in NPR Summer Books 2010. (authoritative list)
This book is in Janet Maslin's Top 10 Books of 2010. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Tom Rachman (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: The Dial Press
Country: United States
Publication Date: April 6, 2010
ISBN: 9780385343664
Page Count: 288

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PR9199.4.R323 I57
  • Dewey: 813.6

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Adult fiction.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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