Emails from the Edge, by Lynne Everatt, Insomniac Press (2006).

A lot of books today depend on a gimmick.  They are either in response to a previous title (Your Cat’s Just Not That Into You, On the Up and Up: A Survival Guide for Women Living with Men on the Down Low) or work on a theme (Sophie Kinsella’s shopping gal, or the Sue Grafton B is for Burglar alphabet series).  And this book is no different.

You might call it a case for structure.  Because at the beginning of writing a book, an author often considers how to structure it – will it be chronological, alphabetical or chapters on each character, they wonder.  And so, the format of Emails from the Edge might be completely appropriate for a novel about Constance Beaman, MBA, who is a struggling middle manager in a major international corporation.

But don’t you find it a little hard to fathom reading 223 pages of emails?  I mean, we all have our own overflowing inboxes to cope with.  Do you really want to go bed with a book of them?

Perhaps.

I mean, maybe the format will just dissolve into the background and the writing will be the driving force.  The character, Constance, is given a mentor, Rosalind to show her the way up the corporate ladder.  Only problem is, Rosalind either doesn’t respond or else sends her a scathing message, admonishing Constance’s efforts.

But Constance is a go-getter, trying to make it in this make-or-break world, and so she sees it as just a method to goad Constance into working harder towards her goal.

p.s.  Manny let me choose my own title.  I picked Manager, Relational Management because it is at once mathematical and managerial.  Before I order business cards, what do you think when you hear Constance Beaman, MBA, Manager, Relational Management?

Subject: Re: Feedback on Title

Nothing is a valid response.  I like nothing because it means the title has neither positive nor negative connotations.  It is pure potential.

Manager, Relational Management, it is.

Thanks,

Constance Beaman MBA

Manager, Relational Management

I thought that reading about the antics of a woman in a large corporation might be entertaining and a nice break from the heaviness that a novel can sometimes carry.  Described as a Bridget Jones-style book, I thought it would be fun and flirty.  And I was intrigued by the email format.  I mean, it would feel like I was at the office with Constance, right?

Absolutely.  And that is the problem.

If I wanted to read about the office, I would be bringing MBA in a Box or How to Succeed in Business to bed.  But unfortunately, this romp at the office with a clueless middle manager left me wanting to escape this corporate world for something else, anything else.

But people must like it.  Lynne Everatt has been writing a monthly column under the same name for The Globe and Mail.

There are funny parts, like when she has to undergo a polygraph and she fires off her usual neurotic email questions:

Subject: Polygraphobia

Thanks once again for your consoling comments regarding my experiences with Dr. Gene, but something troubles me: if, as you suggest, they did not do a polygraph test on me but were doing a skinfold test, why would they be interested in my body fat measurements?  Do you think they are attempting to correlate body fat to intelligence or body fat to psychological stability, or are they trying to amass a fat body of evidence to use against overweight employees?

Still looking for correlations in random data,

Constance

The book unwinds into another direction by novel’s end, so seeing Constance find another way to live is a tremendous relief.  It is like having watched your close friend in an awful relationship day in and day out and then finally seeing her with someone who treats her well.

Relief came, but for this reader, just a little too late.  However, this could be because I escaped the office for writing at home after a decade of punching the clock.  Maybe I am Constance and it was just too hard to read about.

Nah.

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