Temporary (Emily Books)

Wasn’t sure I’d like it but found myself wondering “How can anyone think like this? And use language to capture, compel, and propel readers along the journey?”I’ll be rereading passages for the next several days.

"I worry about those poor abandoned mugs."Hilary Leichter's unorthodox use of the most obsurd jobs delves into the human persona in "Temporary." One of the temp jobs of the young woman is that of a human barnacle. "I haven't known many human barnacles in my life. I haven't known many people who stick around." The "First Job" is a personal favorite in the collection. The first experience she has with a temp job as a child. By the end of the story ... through the shutting and opening of doors the job is finally revealed.... hints of what is really happening, "Finally the small blue door at the other end of the house, opening only a smidge, revealing the leftover glow of a wet nose and shiny fur, floppy ears and marbled eyes..... The house was a house for a family, and I was filling in for a ghost." Hilary makes the reader feel each experience the young woman experiences. These are not just jobs. These are the experiences that shape her life. She was temporary. The jobs were temporary. We are all temporary. There is no permanence. When she has failed one too many times at her temp jobs she finds herself filling in as a young boys mother. She is offered the job behind a dumpster. Learning to play the part as a mother he tells her what parts she needs to play. " I'm supposed to yell for no reason, get sad, and stare out the window." Hilary's representation of how a child see's his mother and the part she needs to play is well crafted."Sometimes the cross was not enough for traffic, and yet, a temporary hit by a bus was rarely mourned or replaced. After all, who would bother replacing a replacement."

This book was an interesting and short read. It is odd in its entirety, and full of synbolism that the reader can grasp and also ignore, but I really enjoyed every minute of it. It really is unique in its plot and characters! I enjoyed getting to see the world in a different way, where jobs are the center of the universe and you can either be temporary or full-time. It makes you think. It is also a good book if you need a good laugh during these crazy times. It is a good temporary companion that will stick in your mind for months after it's read.

The story of Temporary begins like the proper beginning for a book, with details and ambiguity combined. We’re in a weird little world that may or may not be ours, depending on the expectations of the Reader about genres and style. There is a pirate ship. There is a little boy whose mother is gone. A deus ex machina appears on time and under budget. We’re in a great big world that may actually be ours, or one very close by. It all makes a strange kind of sense.

Giving it four stars, but honestly no idea how to actually rate Temporary. Despite having read reviews, I expected a novel about a temporary worker - instead, this is a surrealistic dada-esque book about...I'm not sure what. I think I'm glad I read it?

Great start that makes you smile most of the way. Gets a bit complex so the ending can fade if you don’t keep up.

Truly unique. Riff on the the experience of being a temp, not just at work but at life. Playful inventive use of language but real emotion just underneath. I dont usually like "experimental" fiction but this spoke to me. Really well done.

It's hard to put a number rating on this book, with its several pluses and (for me) one big minus. On the one hand, Leichter is inventive, often funny, and insightful on the devastating phenomenon of meaningless temp jobs. On the other hand, about 2/3 of the way through, she starts inventing haphazardly, and the narrator (who had been a sympathetic character) accepts more and more vicious jobs, with absolutely no qualms. You could say Leichter shows the dehumanization of the gig economy most blatantly here. However, when I lost faith in the main character as a real human being, she no longer seemed worth reading about.

I loved this book, its a really quick read and took only an afternoon. You won't be able to put it down. I oddly felt connected to the main character despite the unusual circumstances.

Didnt know what to expect going into this. I was more than surprised - it's wonderful. I read it in one go.

Esse romance 'me fez rir como há muito eu não ria. No mundo criado por Hilary Leichter, os "Temporary" são uma espécie de entidade mística freelancer que pulam de bico em bico, sempre substituindo outra pessoas (ou animais, ou objetos!) que possuem uma função ou um emprego fixo. A protagonista pula de bico em bico, sempre sonhando com a lendária estabilidade, tanto profissional quanto pessoal. É uma história de cunho surrealista, mas que dialoga de forma bem-humorada com a "uberização" do trabalho que estamos vivendo nesse capitalismo tardio, porém sem entrar em discussões tangentes sobre o efeito disso em nossas vidas. Recomendo a leitura a todos, e espero que editoras brasileiras se interessem por ele o suficiente para encomendar uma tradução urgente!

'Temporary' features a temporary worker in search of a sense of permanence. A work of absurdist fiction, the temporary worker cannot be expected to work the usual temp jobs you would associate with the position, but rather ends up covering for an assassin and filling in on a pirate ship. The story works much like a nightmare, with disorientating jolts and the sort of writing that has you questioning the nature of what you're being told. I liked it - more so as it went along, though I was glad the book did not overstay its welcome, as there's only so much you can have your temp do in this modern Kafkaland before you begin to wish they'd just stop...

Absolutely loved this book, very experimental and highly inventive. Looking forward to reading more by this author!