The Imperfectionists

Tom Rachman has captured some pathetic, funny and, above all, human stories in his debut novel The Imperfectionists. The setting is an English-language international newspaper set in Rome, and each chapter follows a different employee. There is Arthur Gopal, who is the laziest person at the paper until a personal tragedy jumpstarts his ambition to be a better reporter; Winston Cheung, the primate studies grad student who is trying out for the Cairo reporter position against a more seasoned and irritating journalist; Oliver Ott, the grandson of the paper's founder who loves his basset hound more than his job; and even Ornella de Monterecchi, a woman who has been reading every article in the newspaper since the 1970s, and has fallen behind the current times because of it. I would call it more of a short story collection than a novel, but each chapter does follow a timeline and furthers the downfall of a newspaper that is stuck in the past.
I wanted to read this book every second until I finally finished it, then wished I had savored it a bit more. The characters are so infinitely sympathetic, and Rachman's writing is breezy and fresh. It's been on several bestseller lists since being released in April, and the news is that Brad Pitt's company has bought the rights to turn it into a film. Jump on the bandwagon and read this before you're out of the loop!
P.S. How much do you love this cover?