I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: LIAM KAZAR-“Sunloathe” (from WILCOvered, UNCUT Magazine November 2019).

The November 2019 issue of UNCUT magazine had a cover story about Wilco.  It included a 17 track CD of bands covering Wilco (called WILcovered or WILCOvered).  I really enjoyed this collection and knew most of the artists on it already, so I’m going through the songs one at a time.

I don’t know Liam Kazar (he was in Kids These Days and Marrow).  This song is a simple folkie version of the song with some nice slide guitar and some cool keyboard sounds in the middle.

Kazar’s mellow singing with these instruments makes this cover sound not too different from the original.

[READ: August 23, 2019] The Adventurist

I was intrigued by the title of this book.  I didn’t know a thing about it or the author, but the title and the blurbs were promising a funny and thought provoking novel.  And they were right.

Henry Hurt is a surprisingly likable narrator given his general disposition.  He thinks we need a war in this country–not exactly, but when he looks in the rearview mirror and sees “a glare from my fellow citizen…a look of such opprobrium, such astonished offense (I change lanes too abruptly) that I would have the nerve, the gall to interrupt even for a moment her progress in the world…. Yes: tank treads and the tromp of boots, here on our courteous soil.  It is the only remedy.”

He also loves work. Not just his own work but work in general.  Unlike his sister:

in her mythology a corporate job is a necessary evil, to be tolerated only until a person finds what he was Meant To Do.

He felt that way once as well, when he first got his job at Cyber Systems but

what changed my mind was love. Of money.  I am only partly joking.  It’s no good avowing one’s regard for money.  You set yourself up as a satirical creature.  [but] it didn’t take long to see that acquiring a skill, linking arms with others to fix problems, fulfilling one’s duties with aplomb, all toward a commercial end, is its own kind of nobility.

His sister works for a non profit.  He admires the mission but finds all her coworkers too self-satisfied.

So how could one enjoy this person as a main character?  Because hes funny and insightful and because he presents a perspective that you don’t often see in literature–a non-caricatured business man.

Henry is a software engineer.  He has a counterpart, Barry.  They are both under the guidance of Keith, the General Manager.  Keith was promoted from elsewhere to take over after the last CEO was ousted.  Before the end of the first chapter, Henry has been brought into the office and offered a raise and a bonus withe caveat “we’re only as good as our last quarter.  That’s the cold hell of business.”

Cyber make a sales call on Markitel–what they believe is a sure thing.  But Markitel sees things differently especially when Barry addresses the head of Markitel as Mark instead of Mike.  By the time they connect with the head office, they already know of this gaffe.

The plot comes down pretty simply: they are all going to lose their jobs if the company doesn’t make their quota–and it’s a big quota.

Markitel is in Minnesota–near where Henry’s family lives, so he uses the time to visit them.

Henry’s mother died less than a year ago.  He visited his father who is not doing so great and his sister who is living at home.  Despite their career paths, he and Gretchen are still close and confide in each other.  Gretchen is very worried about their dad.  She tells Henry that their dad walked into her room in the middle of the night and said, “Gretchen, I’m concerned I simply cannot think where your mother might be.”

Henry has a thing for his coworker, Joan.  They have flirtatious, playful banter every day.  Of course, she is married, but what does that matter.  He goes for a run to try to build up the courage to talk to her, and while he is talking to himself, he trips and falls on the front lawn of Madison McClendon, a 27 year-old woman.  She helps him and tends to his wound.  They hit it off, so he asks her is she would like to go to a NASCAR race.  Neither of them likes NASCAR and this seems like a interesting first date.

He had been invited to the NASCAR race by his employee Cory.  Cory is a good programmer and Henry is shocked to learn of his affinity for NASCAR.  Henry at first said no way, but now, with a date, why not.

The NASCAR event is bizarre–full-on drunken bonhomie.  There’s swagger, aggression, name calling and all of it is apparently fun.  Henry and Madison wind up hitting it off with strangers who offer them pot.  The date doesn’t end well.  But it doesn’t mean they can’t have another one.

He has been avoiding Jane at work because she confides him about business and personal problems, and he is afraid of what it might mean.  They bond at wok, but is it more than that?  She is married. but is she happy?  When she hears that he fell, she checks on his knee injury and she also leaves him a card

The bearer of this card is entitled to one kvetch-free dinner.

There is also the matter of Barry’s getting fired.

Everyone thinks that Henry had something to do with it.  Henry keeps telling people that Barry was not even in his department, but everyone assumes he told Keith about the botched job at Markitel.

Barry’s replacement is Ian, a smarmy professional salesman who sizes everyone up quickly (and often accurately).  When he learns of the situation at the company: they have six weeks two score four million dollars, Ian proposes “a road show.”

Pile all of the key execs onto a plane and go on a sort of barnstorming tour of institutional investors, analysts, major I- banks, etc….

What do we have?  A small group of critical buyers, a short window of time, and so one chance with each to hit them with everything we’ve got.  And, might as well say it…the future of the business is riding on it.

The keys execs are Keith Ian Henry and Jane.  What could go wrong?

We see some of the business meetings and how the tour works.  But mostly we see how Henry his dealing with his father, his possible love life–he and Jane share a memorable elevator ride–and his conscience.

There’s also the matter of a huge Minnesota snowstorm that hist just as they are about to pitch. Markitel (Ian is going to try to win them back) decides not to meet because of the snow…so they have to hang around in Henry’s home town until the snow passes.  Gretchen can’t believe he’s in town and won’t sacrifice any business time for her and their dad.

And just what would it take to betray his true love–money?

Henry is the kind of self-aware narrator that makes this story work very well.  If he was just a money-hording jerk, this story wouldn’t work.  Rather he’s a guy who wants to make money, but he was brought up to understand why people not like that attitude.

I really enjoyed this story a lot and would definitely read more from Hipps.