Catch-up: The Imperfectionists

The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman

As I recall, got great press when it came out. Definitely enjoyed this tale of an English-language newspaper in Italy...although by the time I got around to reading it, I thought it was about editors...possibly at a publishing house? In any case, I did really enjoy it. It was a while ago, though, so I don't totally remember why. Good writing, basically. Wasn't totally in love with all of the stories (wasn't expecting a series of somewhat interlocking stories) or all the characters (I don't mean that I didn't like them all - wasn't supposed to - just that I wasn't captivated by all of them), but still really liked some aspects. I flagged some passages, although I will be guessing, at this long remove, as to just why...

"Initially, the paper suffered under the suspicion that it was an international mouthpiece for Ott's business empire, but this was unfounded. The greatest influence over content was necessity - they had holes to fill on every page and jammed in any vaguely newsworthy string of words, provided it didn't include expletives, which they were apparently saving for their own use around the office" (50).

Funny! On two counts! And quite reminiscent of a lot of academic writing, too.

In a lengthy - and delightful! - description of an editor's "Bible," a super idiosyncratic style guide, we read:

GWOT: No one knows what this means, above all those who use the term. Nominally, it stands for Global War on Terror. But since conflict against an abstraction is, to be polite, tough to execute, the term should be understood as marketing gibberish. Our reporters adore this sort of humbug; it is the copy editor's job to exclude it. See also: OBL, Acronyms; and Nitwits.  (78)

Ha. There's more about the Bible. This may have been my favorite cycle in the book. The same editor also produces an internal newsletter he calls Why?, collecting his "favorite" mistakes and errors and bad ideas from the newspaper (79).

There is one character, so interesting, and so well drawn - Ornella, who we see, in some old family pictures, "when she was dashing, too thin and too young. (She was only sixteen at the time of her marriage to Cosimo.) She has a different face today, matted with peach foundation, orange lipstick, liner around her eyes, green mascara so thick that when she blinks one sees frog's fingers clasping. Her hair is yellow, dyed at great expense and pulled back in a bun so tight that the canvas of her face appears to be held fast by the knot at the back of her head' (209).

I would have said "frogs' fingers" but minor quibble - that line, right there, just that fragment of a line, is the kind of thing I will remember about a book for years. Creative, unique, but still totally understandable and evocative; lovely.

I also love that when unexpectedly faced with caring for a small child, her immediate - slightly nervous - reaction is not just to feed the boy, but to make him "pastina in brodo." Of course! That's my fall-back for sick or hungover peers, but I would give it to babies and children too :)