Perfect Tense by Michael Bracewell

Perfect Tense

Michael Bracewell

This is a strange meditation on contemporary office life. Don't expect a straightforward narrative - just go with the flow.

Extract
You might be wondering who I am, or what I look like. It doesn't matter. You wouldn't look twice if you saw me on the train. I look just like everyone else. And I suppose that I am just like everyone else, when you get down to it. But I ought to say 'male, white, British'. And you could add 'white-collar-low-to-middle-income-bracket-suburban-but-has-read-a-few-books' if you wanted.

But once, nearly twenty years ago, back in the summer of 1980, I was on my way to the office when I suddenly decided to bunk off for the day.

Parallels
  • Something Happened by Joseph Heller
  • Mr Phillips by John Lanchester
  • The Office- TV series