The gainfully employed, the underemployed and the woefully unemployed will all likely appreciate this timely novel from Kokoris (Sister North
), in which he tackles the subject of joblessness the same way a job hunter might approach his day—with serious consideration and a bolstering sense of humor. After Chicago ad exec Charlie Baker gets the ax for his “frenetic style” (his wife just calls him crazy), 50-year-old Charlie realizes he may have already lost his family and friends. Aided by nebbishy “transition consultant” Ned Meyers and other colorful “refugees” at the outplacement center, Charlie, “who had never been much of a ponderer,” begins to figure out what went wrong in his life. While it's difficult for the average earner to empathize with an ill-tempered executive who banked a $400,000 salary, Kokoris creates in Charlie a citizen funny enough, a husband flawed enough and a father desperate enough that any reader might identify with his search for security and happiness, as well as a job—dream or not—that facilitates them both. (Oct.)
