Ringing For You

By ELIZABETH GLEICK

Office drones of the world, unite! This clever first novel is narrated by a nameless young woman who is killing time and brain cells by working as a receptionist at the stuffy Academy of Material Science in London. Pouring her heart out in a novel-cum-diary, she is attempting to figure out a tumultuous love affair. But while this subject has been handled much better by more sophisticated writers, the author really comes alive in her sharp descriptions of the deadly pettiness of office life: who sits with whom in the company cafeteria; what the people who answer the phones really think; and how a drone can actually blossom into a happy, fulfilled, creative human being.

--By Elizabeth Gleick