FICTION

Temporary

by Hilary Leichter
Coffee House. Mar. 2020. 208p. ISBN 9781566895668. pap. $16.95. F
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DEBUT Leichter’s debut introduces readers to an unnamed temporary worker who lives in a bizarre world in which it’s possible to fill in for the chair of a board of directors, assist an assassin, step in as a mother to a lost child, and work as a pirate deckhand on a ship with a human resources department. Anything can be a temp role in the world of the protagonist, who additionally has 18 boyfriends to fit every possible mood, season, height requirement, and occasion. She takes on ever stranger jobs, all with gusto and all to find something to call her own: a permanent place in a world that has made temporary positions out of every facet of life.
VERDICT At once hilarious, surreal, and serious, Leichter’s first novel reveals truths about capitalist society while exploring the meaning of doing one’s work well, despite how ridiculous or temporary it might be. This will be enjoyed by fans of Jen George and Helen Ellis.
Reviewed by Mara Shatat, Ursuline Coll. Lib., Pepper Pike, OH , Mar 01, 2020
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