lokroma reviewed Very Nice Box by Eve Gleichman
Review of 'Very Nice Box' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
This is a mostly smart, funny, well written debut novel about an introvert design engineer (Ava) who is the storage box expert for an IKEA-like company in Red Hook and is wooed into a relationship with a charming but kind of jerky, extrovert marketing type (Mat) who becomes her boss. At the same time, Ava is struggling with grief in the aftermath of a tragedy that killed her girlfriend. Fascinating characters like Jaime, Ava's engineer co-worker; the dogs Emily and Brutus; The Vandals, an activist group protesting the erection of the company's new tower; and Judith, the buttoned up Chief People Officer make this an entertaining and quick read. Blackett also explores sexual identity and mens' and women's roles in the workplace effectively and with humor.
The book was great until about the last 3 chapters when a contrived ending totally inconsistent with the rest of the book, and particularly …
This is a mostly smart, funny, well written debut novel about an introvert design engineer (Ava) who is the storage box expert for an IKEA-like company in Red Hook and is wooed into a relationship with a charming but kind of jerky, extrovert marketing type (Mat) who becomes her boss. At the same time, Ava is struggling with grief in the aftermath of a tragedy that killed her girlfriend. Fascinating characters like Jaime, Ava's engineer co-worker; the dogs Emily and Brutus; The Vandals, an activist group protesting the erection of the company's new tower; and Judith, the buttoned up Chief People Officer make this an entertaining and quick read. Blackett also explores sexual identity and mens' and women's roles in the workplace effectively and with humor.
The book was great until about the last 3 chapters when a contrived ending totally inconsistent with the rest of the book, and particularly with Ava's character, disappointed me. I think the author needed to start integrating the transition to the ending much earlier than she did. But given all the the positives here I think Blackett will only get better.
