Book Review: Falling Sideways by Thomas E. Kennedy

At the Copenhagen offices of The Tank, the managers are called to a meeting to go over the company's future. Among those in attendance is Martin Kampman, the CEO of The Tank and the man with a reputation for "streamlining" companies. One of the first to fall victim to the new plans for the future is Fred Breathwaite, the only non-Danish employee at the company and the one responsible for all foreign relations, especially with The Tank's counterpart in Dublin. Once he learns his fate, he sets out to engineer a future for his youngest son Jes by getting his replacement to convince Kampman that a good speaker of English is necessary. Jes, however, see things differently and doesn't want to burdened like his father in what he considers a dead-end life of work and nothing but work. As if to show his lack of desire to work in an office, Jes takes a job in a Muslim-owned bar. On the other hand, Fred's replacement -- Harald Jaeger -- is trying to deal with his new job duties while trying to maintain his visitation rights with his daughters and his insatiable yearning for women.

For me, too much was going on in the story, too many little side stories trying to weave their way into the main storyline that I never quite grasped what the main storyline was supposed to be. Is this a book about employees dealing with drastic changes at their employer and how those changes affect their everyday lives? Or even how that change affects office politics? Is it about the next generation not wanting to follow along in the footsteps of their parents -- such as with Jes and his father Fred, or other characters (Harald Jaegaer and his son Adam, Jalâl al-Din and his estranged son Zaid)? How about fathers trying to connect with sons? Or simply people trying to connect with others any way they can?

I like that each chapter focuses on a specific character, showing events and the mindset of one individual. It offers a great opportunity to get to know the characters, and many times, these chapters could stand on their own as short stories. Such as Chapter 6. The Mumble Club. During this chapter, the reader witnesses the initial meeting with the CEO that sets things in motion, and all from the perspective of Harald Jaeger. He tries to focus on the content of the meeting, but the little details capture his attention more, like the beautiful Birgitte Sommer, the way the shadows vary his perception of the CEO, what others in the room are doing. It's the perfect picture of a board meeting.

Yet even with such chapters, the entire book ends leaving more questions and seems unfinished. Nothing appears to be resolved. I wanted Breathwaite to be more savvy, Jaeger to show a little more backbone, but they sort of fizzled toward the finale. For me, that's an unsatisfying way to leave things.

Falling Sideways
by Thomas E. Kennedy
Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 978-1-60819-081-2
hardcover, 291 pgs.


received book from publisher via LibraryThing.

Image from The New Yorker.