[ebooks] Office Girl by Joe Meno at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Two totally lost young people stumble into each otherBy PatriciaThis book is about two lost souls who flounder around and find some brief comfort when they stumble into each other. A guy and a girl - they are both good. kind people who have no idea what they want or how to live. They meander from job to job. pranks. drugs. sex - and find it all unfulfilling. I suspect they represent a lot of people in this world and in that way they break your heart. It is well written but for for me it was not a fulfilling book. Somehow reminds me of Samuel Beckett - which I suppose is a great compliment!As a footnote. the girls name is Odile. which she finds uncommon. I grew up in South Louisiana and that name was fairly common among the older French people. I still remember an "Aunt Odile".3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Alternately Irritating and EntertainingBy kcucciaEhhh. After finishing this book yesterday I spent a while trying to figure out why I alternated between liking bits of it and being totally irritated by most of it. I liked the idea that life is really about the small moments we experience or create. but was totally annoyed by the characters. Neither Jack nor Odile was particularly likeable or original. They both seemed to act much too young for their age and neither seemed quite believable - they both felt too much like a sterotypical hipster. Their angst was pretty cliched. The writing was blah with a few good bits. The emphasis on color was interesting if you paid attention to it. The illustrations and photos were an interesting idea and sometimes quite entertaining. but it all seemed to be trying a little too hard to be clever. I enjoyed the little acts of art terrorism. but wasnt really moved by it. but rather admired the ideas from a distance. You never really get close to feeling anything real in this book - its a pretty quick. superficial read2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Cute and quirky. like every indie romantic comedy ever made...By Larry Hoffer"What do you do with the rest of your life when you realize you dont like anything?" This is one of the questions raised by Odile. one of the main characters of Joe Menos newest book. Office Girl. Odile is a 20-something art school dropout working in a series of boring office jobs and dreaming of creating something special. of making people take notice. She finds herself falling into inappropriate relationship after inappropriate relationship. all because shes afraid of not being liked. When she meets Jack. an amateur sound artist whose marriage has ended and who doesnt know what to do with his life. the two forge an immediate connection while trying not to fall into their regular behavior patterns.Odile and Jack start an art revolution. which combines performance art (spontaneously breaking into a scene from a movie while on the subway). graffiti. and creating an imaginary persona. Alphonse F.. to whom they attribute their "art." All the while. the two find themselves falling in love. experiencing all of the joy. comfort. insecurity. and doubts that young love brings. with the hopes and fears that come with opening yourself up to another person. And with love often comes self-discovery and the ability to make changes in your life. even if they may not be the right ones.Joe Meno is at his best when hes capturing the angst. insecurity. and eccentricities of 20-somethings or even high school students. as he did in his terrific Hairstyles of the Damned. The book honestly feels like an aggregation of every quirky independent movie about a couple ever made. You can totally see this book as a movie. and in fact. I think these characters might even be more vivid on the screen than they were on the page. This was a tremendously quick read. light and enjoyable. with a hazy ending you may or may not like.