A shrewd novel of
corporate culture examines how a group of HR employees faces fallout from the
Great Recession.
Corporate
America during nine months of the Great Recession is the setting of This Could Hurt, Jillian
Medoff's shrewd and deeply affecting fourth novel. Ellery Consumer
Research--with offices in New York City, Raleigh and Atlanta--is a
cutting-edge, boutique market research firm for clients like Walmart and
General Motors. Medoff roots the story amid the company's shrinking human
resources department in New York, offering a well-drawn ensemble cast of flawed
characters who orbit around Rosalita "Rosa" Guerrero, the 64-year-old
HR chief.
Rosa is a seasoned old-timer--personally and professionally. She is bossy, but
fair. Her take-charge, no-nonsense approach serves as a "voice of clarity
and calm" in her quest to advocate for and boost the morale of those in
her department despite drastic corporate cutbacks. Rosa's predicament grows more
complex when she's forced to fire the v-p of operations--a trusted confidant of
Rosa and her right hand--who was being groomed as her successor, but was
embezzling from the company.
His departure leaves an open door for the rest of the HR staff, most of whom are scrambling to find ways to stay employed under the corporate restructuring and downsizing. Medoff (I Couldn't Love You More) has a spot-on grasp on the often cutthroat nuances of office politics--especially within the high-stakes uncertainty of the Great Recession. She skillfully reveals the modus operandi of the staff as they vie to keep their jobs. Sharply drawn intimate details about the lives of each character add even greater depth and broaden the timeless appeal of this very smart, thoroughly absorbing story.
His departure leaves an open door for the rest of the HR staff, most of whom are scrambling to find ways to stay employed under the corporate restructuring and downsizing. Medoff (I Couldn't Love You More) has a spot-on grasp on the often cutthroat nuances of office politics--especially within the high-stakes uncertainty of the Great Recession. She skillfully reveals the modus operandi of the staff as they vie to keep their jobs. Sharply drawn intimate details about the lives of each character add even greater depth and broaden the timeless appeal of this very smart, thoroughly absorbing story.
Harper,
$26.99 Hardcover, 9780062660763, 384 pages
Publication
Date: January 9, 2018
NOTE:
This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To
read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (January 23, 2018), link HERE
To read
the long-form review of this novel as featured on Shelf
Awareness for the Book Trade (December 7, 2017), link HERE