BOOK REVIEW: E SQUARED BY MATT BEAUMONT

Genre: Modern Fiction

Published by: Black Swan (May 2010)

Pages: 505 (Paperback)

My Rating: 8.5/10

E SQUARED BY MATT BEAUMONT

About the Book:

Out of the ashes of doomed ad agency Miller Shanks has risen Meerkat 360, a very 21st century workplace. Staff include David Crutton, an MD with the worst email signature in history; Milton Keane, a definitely-straight PA with a yearning for reality tv fame; Liam O'Keefe, a creative with an online gambling addiction who may be linked with the contents of the stationery cupboard appearing on eBay; and Harvey Harvey, a creative who politely replies to pornographic spam and who might just have met his future wife online – a rich Nigerian princess in deep trouble…

Told entirely via emails, texts, webchat and blogs, the long-awaited follow up to E is a hilariously funny insight into the hearts, minds and inboxes of the world’s most engagingly dysfunctional ad agency.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a funny and unique look at the loves and lives of the crazy workers at a fictitious Ad Agency, it didn't make me laugh out loud, but I did chuckle a couple of times. I haven't read the first book 'E' so I didn't know any of the characters and it took me quite a while to really get involved in their story as there were so many characters; but once I did I don't think it mattered that I hadn't read the first book.

I really liked the way the workers daily lives are told through technology at Meerkat360 "the agency that's so cutting-edge you slice your finger on the lift button." The whole book just consisted of them emailing, texting, and blogging to each other during the month of January which seemed to be full of crazy advertising ideas; listings on Ebay of various office products from mugs to photocopiers which have myseriously gone missing; a member of staff who is permanently away on one weird course or another.

We learn about their personal problems, the break-ups, the tears, the tantrums and suicide attempts. Amazingley, they even manage to do some work in between, possibly thanks to Mr Fraggles the new Clown in Residence who is employed to give the creative Department "a vital and distinctive edge."

Even though I didn't feel connected with any of the characters, it was very clever how Beaumont made me feel happy, sad or sorry for them. A good, entertaining read.

This is the third book I've read in the Transworld Dan Brown Summer Reading Challenge - details of which can be found here.

The first two books were ~

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

and

After You by Julie Buxbaum