Not much happens in this slim novel. The protagonist is almost defiantly anti-heroic. She works a depressing temp job, she drinks beer with her one friend, she seemingly absorbs every dull detail about her life, from her clothes to her ex-boyfriend. It does capture a certain millennial ennui and the ash-end of late capitalism, but it's not exactly an inspiring read. It's the literary equivalent of a store bought salad that's been left in the fridge too long. In a similar vein, there's "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," "Severance,'" and "You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine."

newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/15/halle-butlers-the-new-me-is-an-office-novel-for-a-precarious-age

Yet another first-world millennial novel about a woman from a middle-class background stuck in a world where everything is wrong - no permanent job, small apartment, no boyfriend, no real friends. She is lonely and depressed and has no agency. The book itself is depressing.

This year I've read a number of novels which could be categorised as 'lost milennial women' books. 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', 'Attraction', 'Vacuum in the Dark', and 'You Too Could Have A Body Like Mine' come to mind. Ever drawn to introspective narratives about the inner lives of women, I like these books, mostly. 'The New Me' follows nihilistic Millie, a perpetual temp worker, who is judgemental of the women in her office, yet - crippled by insecurities, she desires permanent work and economic stability as a means of feeling happy and successful. This novel was thought provoking, as are the others, in its exploration of contemporary alienation, isolation and meaning-seeking under a late-capitalist economic climate. But - perhaps more so than the other examples, I found it to be depressing and disquieting, a cautionary tale of the perils of succumbing to the grind of making money to support a life of little meaning or connection, and the pursuit of socially validated success without self-reflection. An interesting, bleak read.

Exactly what Marianne from the Indianapolis Public Library said - started out great but by the end, I was very disappointed.

This one started great. I really enjoyed the banter and references, but then it just stagnated and ended pretty meh.