I don’t usually post two book reviews in a row, but I enjoyed this book so much, I wanted to share. When I started reading I Hope This Finds You Well by Calgary author Natalie Sue I was immediately thankful I am no longer working. A few more pages in and my mood shifted into I wish I was still working so I could harvest the office experience as beautifully and humorously as Sue has.

I was first alerted to this book when I heard her interviewed on CBC radio as I was driving in my car. Since I’m always on the lookout for promising Canadian authors I made a note of the title and author’s name when I stopped at the next red light. By the time it became available at the library I had forgotten all about it but I’m so glad it landed in my in-box as it was an absolutely delightful read.

Natalie Sue is the daughter of Iranian immigrants so her perspective on Iranian cultural traditions set in Canadian society makes for a truly funny experience. Her protagonist, Jolene Smith, works in a soul-less pod/cubicle under violently fluorescent lighting for a fictional national retailer. Supershops Incorporated is a less-than-generous company that has a one pancake limit during its annual rodeo breakfast.

Jolene is a lonely, somewhat depressed thirty-something single who tends to drink too much. She eschews office social life, corporate team-building activities, and any kind of personal interaction with her co-workers. She views each person she works with as boring, annoying, or a total waste of space. Her passive-aggressive tendencies are satisfied by writing snarky, sarcastic comments and emails about her coworkers that she cleverly whites out so they cannot be read.

This coping strategy works brilliantly until one day she forgets to white out one of her sarcastic emails. A humiliating dressing-down at a staff meeting results in a disciplinary course of harassment training and restrictions on the use of her office computer. When the IT guy comes to make the necessary changes to her computer, he somehow mistakenly gives her access to every email, both personal and business, of her office colleagues so she learns everything there is to know about them. Jolene takes full advantage of this glitch and launches a full-on campaign to save her wretched job.

The characters who populate Jolene’s office will be recognizable to anyone who has ever worked in an office, or any work environment for that matter. There’s Rhonda, the older lady approaching retirement who has trouble grasping new technology but is necessary to office functioning because she organizes all office birthday cakes, wedding showers, and other social events. She also scrupulously records when anyone is late. We have Armin, the office slacker who has a habit of always being late for work or mysteriously disappearing altogether. The egotistical somewhat incompetent boss Greg has been rewarded with his position because he’s been there the longest. He spouts all the latest corporate buzzwords and slogans he’s picked up at business seminars over the years to present himself as encouraging and knowledgeable, which he is not. Caitlin is the office suckup and Jolene’s nemesis.

When Cliff the new H.R. Director joins the firm, he brings a surprisingly compassionate and even sympathetic perspective to the office dynamics that upends Jolene’s take on office politics. With staff reductions on the horizon, everyone is jockeying to hold on to jobs they need but don’t enjoy. Who will be cut? Will the environment be better or worse for the survivors?

In the midst of all the office machinations, Jolene’s mother and aunties are shaming her for being in her thirties and not married and having babies. Sound familiar? Everyone in the office has their own backstory and personal challenges that they may or may not have shared with their coworkers.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this well-written book. Sue’s writing is every bit as good as  Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada) even though she never had the advantage of working for Anna Wintour. She expertly takes everyday office politics and relationships and turns what could be boring into funny and relatable reading. I only wish I’d had her talent and originality when working in an office and it was still fresh in my aging boomer aspiring writer’s mind. I look forward to more good reads from indie author Natalie Sue.

If you are unable to obtain I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue at your local library or bookstore, you can have it delivered directly to your door for only $18.19 from Amazon by clicking on this link.

(Disclosure: I may receive a teeny, tiny commission. Thank you for supporting Canadian female authors.)