Tuesday, April 14, 2020

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Temporary by Hilary Leichter




Temporary is a short novel (bordering on novella length) that is as much literary or absurdist fiction as it is Science Fiction or Fantasy.  The story focuses upon an unnamed young woman who serves as a Temporary and seemingly has since birth, serving as a Temp in more and more absurd and odd jobs - ranging from being a member of a sea pirate crew, to being CEO for an unnamed corporation, to being the secretary for a murderer, to....etc.  Its absurdist premise showcases the sad nature of being a Temp and the dream of finding something more permanent, making a serious topic out of a really fun at times premise.  And the book is short enough to not really outstay its welcome.


-------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------
The job of a Temp is one that comes from generation to generation and I have been doing it since birth, hoping one day to find that "job that stays", the one that makes you go steady.  My Grandmother never found that job, nor did my mother.  Now I go from job to job, with the aid usually of my agent Farren, taking the place of someone else not available.  Whether that be washing windows, drilling concrete, or even acting as the CEO of a major corporation - if someone needs to b temporarily replaced, I'll do it.  And when I'm done, I'll go back home to my army of boyfriends, all of whom serve their own purposes and have become quite cordial with each other.

And if a job requires skills I may not have, well, that just means it's time to fake it.  I can do that!  After all, if I'm going to find that one job that stays, I have to be able to do anything.  Somewhere I'll find it, I'm sure, but until I do, I'm ready and able to fit in anywhere as anyone, I swear.  No matter how personal it is, I'm ready to be your Temporary replacement.
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Temporary is a bit of an absurdist story, and I don't want to spoil it too much, because the variety of jobs the protagonist undertakes - the first few big ones include CEO, Water Pirate, and Murderer's secretary for instance - is part of its humor, and the book goes all over the place, as you should imagine.  It's a story told mainly in first person, with the exception of some shot interludes that tell the story of the mythical First Temp, which I'll say no more about.

The absurdity of premises helps to make the book light and witty, and the premises do not overstay their welcomes, tending to end just before they can get fully old.  Yet the book's themes are a bit more serious as it uses the absurdity to spell out the crushing nature of temp work, where your work is appreciated up through the point where the person you're replacing comes back, and then it's completely unwanted from there on out.  The book makes this extreme as the protagonist replaces people in their entirety, friendships and all, not just in employment.  And it leads to heartbreak again and again.

There really isn't much more to say about this one, it's really that short, and it's fun premise goes towards that one theme again and again.  If it was any longer, it'd get a bit much, but it nicely ends at a right time, in a way to carry off its message, while ending on a satisfying humorous note still to end it all.  It's worth your time if you get to it, but you won't be missing much if you miss out.

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