Small Business: A Novel
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Ten pounds overweight and banned from his favorite bakery. Foiled at tennis by the obnoxious Rosenthal. Nearly arrested as a not-so-innocent bystander at a traffic accident. Helplessly alone at the helm of his small business. Martin Fassler's in trouble.
Martin Fassler's life begins to collapse when his partner, Ed Blair, announces: "I'm having an emotional difficulty. I can't be counted on." And the rest of the staff? They've disappeared with Blair, to produce the mysterious Italy Presentation.
Antic confusion ensues as Fassler races around San Francisco Shooting promotional footage, writing copy, and desperately telling clients, "It's being taken care of." Meanwhile darker, equally comic disturbances beset him on the home front: Joyce won't marry him, his ex-wife won't leave him alone, and Popsie's bypass may go in the next frantic round of Palm Springs golf. To top it all off, someone's photographing Fassler, tapping his phone, following him. As the conspiracy (if it is one), closes in, Fassler carries Joyce off to Florence in pursuit of Blair and the Italy Presentation. The result? A richly comic, poignant novel about success and failure, in business and in life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nothing is going right for poor Martin Fassler. His partner Ed Blair, the creative half of their San Francisco media production company, ups and leaves one day, announcing he is having an "emotional difficulty.'' Soon all the other employees disappear also, following Ed to Italy to work on a special project. So Fassler must orchestrate entirely on his own a couple of big projects, including one that will bring in the largest fee his company has ever received. Other forces are working against Fassler, too: his girlfriend won't marry him (and sometimes won't even see him); his wicked stepmother keeps him from establishing a close rapport with his father; his new $485,000 home is declared uninhabitable; and he is kicked out of the only bakery where he can buy marzipan potatoes. Walking, as Ed puts it, ``the fine line between madness and desperation,'' Passler moves through this funny novel, winning the heart of the reader with his skewed perspective on life. Or is it everyone else who is off balance? Parker doesn't let on. Foreign rights: Norton. January 20
