“Periodically a writer captures the pattern of comedy and tragedy that peppers office life like alternating colors of carpet squares. . . . As smart as Medoff’s critique of corporate inanity is, it’s tempered by compassion for these people, who are ultimately tender with each other, too. . . . Medoff finds plenty of hurt—but strains of hope, too.”
*—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
A razor-sharp and deeply felt novel that illuminates the pivotal role of work in our lives—a riveting fusion of The Nest, Up in the Air, and Then We Came to the End that captures the emotional complexities of five HR colleagues trying to balance ambition, hope, and fear as their small company is buffeted by economic forces that threaten to upend them.
Rosa Guerrero beat the odds as she rose to the top of the corporate world. An attractive woman of a certain age, the longtime chief of human resources at Ellery Consumer Research is still a formidable presence, even if her most vital days are behind her. A leader who wields power with grace and discretion, she has earned the devotion and loyalty of her staff. No one admires Rosa more than her doting lieutenant Leo Smalls, a benefits vice president whose whole world is Ellery.
While Rosa is consumed with trying to address the needs of her staff within the ever-constricting limits of the company’s bottom line, her associate director, Rob Hirsch, a middle-aged, happily married father of two, finds himself drawing closer to his "work wife," Lucy Bender, an enterprising single woman searching for something—a romance, a promotion—to fill the vacuum in her personal life. For Kenny Verville, a senior manager with an MBA, Ellery is a temporary stepping-stone to bigger and better places—that is, if his high-powered wife has her way.
Compelling, flawed, and heartbreakingly human, these men and women scheme, fall in and out of love, and nurture dreams big and small. As their individual circumstances shift, one thing remains constant—Rosa, the sun around whom they all orbit. When her world begins to crumble, the implications for everyone are profound, and Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves changed in ways beyond their reckoning.
Jillian Medoff explores the inner workings of an American company in all its brilliant, insane, comforting, and terrifying glory. Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt* is a novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.
Review
Medoff brilliantly shares looks at all the characters and their lives both in and out of the workplace, and while the subject matter can sometimes be serious or gripping in a more emotional way, there is still plenty of bite from her witty writing.
-- "RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!)"
A thoroughly satisfying character study and exploration of the social microcosm that is the modern workplace ... An ultimately hopeful, completely inventive tale.
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
Witty...wry and ironic...A sharp and moving novel.
-- "Publishers Weekly"
Medoff's scenarios will be familiar to everyone employed everywhere, no matter the company size, and she cogently captures the angst and celebrates the camaraderie of coworkers committed to group success while struggling with personal demons.
-- "Booklist"
Intrigue swirls around HR executive Rosa Guerrero in this engrossing workplace drama...A sharp-eyed novel of corporate manners.
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
A refreshingly authentic portrait of corporate America and the varied souls who dream, conspire, flounder, and triumph there.
-- "Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End"
Searing, sexy, and surprisingly funny, Jillian Medoff's This Could Hurt burns through the pages.
-- "Marcy Dermansky, author of The Red Car"
Funny, painful, and ultimately redemptive, This Could Hurt is a beautifully drawn canvas of corporate America in all its lunacy.
-- "John Kenney, Thurber Prize-winning author"
You wouldn't expect a corporate HR department to house a thrill-ride of a novel, but Jillian Medoff pulls off the impossible here. Funny, searing, and wholly original, This Could Hurt illuminates an ordinary American workplace and the characters who animate it. With a sharp eye for the absurdities of modern office life, and even deeper compassion for her characters, Medoff knocks this one out of the park.
-- "Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life"
Tender and compelling.
-- "George Hodgman, author of Bettyville"
From the Back Cover
Against all odds, Rosa Guerrero became a high-ranking executive. By wielding power with grace and compassion, the longtime chief of Human Resources at Ellery Consumer Research has earned the devotion and loyalty of her senior staff.
With the economy in the tank and unemployment on the rise, Ellery’s future looks grim. While Rosa fights to insulate her people from the harsh realities of business, they’re facing crises of their own. Unlike Leo Smalls, who has no life outside of Ellery (or Rosa), Rob Hirsch’s existential dread pushes him closer to his “work wife,” Lucy Bender—a brainy, ambitious VP who is desperate to find meaning in her life. For Kenny Verville, a Wharton MBA, Ellery is merely a stepping-stone to better things—that is, if he can get out of his own way.
Day after day, these heartbreakingly flawed coworkers scheme and dream, fall in and out of love, and chase ideas big and small. But when Rosa, their guiding light, begins to unravel, Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves challenged in ways beyond their reckoning.
Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt is a masterful novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.
Description:
“Periodically a writer captures the pattern of comedy and tragedy that peppers office life like alternating colors of carpet squares. . . . As smart as Medoff’s critique of corporate inanity is, it’s tempered by compassion for these people, who are ultimately tender with each other, too. . . . Medoff finds plenty of hurt—but strains of hope, too.” *—Ron Charles, The Washington Post A razor-sharp and deeply felt novel that illuminates the pivotal role of work in our lives—a riveting fusion of The Nest, Up in the Air, and Then We Came to the End that captures the emotional complexities of five HR colleagues trying to balance ambition, hope, and fear as their small company is buffeted by economic forces that threaten to upend them. Rosa Guerrero beat the odds as she rose to the top of the corporate world. An attractive woman of a certain age, the longtime chief of human resources at Ellery Consumer Research is still a formidable presence, even if her most vital days are behind her. A leader who wields power with grace and discretion, she has earned the devotion and loyalty of her staff. No one admires Rosa more than her doting lieutenant Leo Smalls, a benefits vice president whose whole world is Ellery. While Rosa is consumed with trying to address the needs of her staff within the ever-constricting limits of the company’s bottom line, her associate director, Rob Hirsch, a middle-aged, happily married father of two, finds himself drawing closer to his "work wife," Lucy Bender, an enterprising single woman searching for something—a romance, a promotion—to fill the vacuum in her personal life. For Kenny Verville, a senior manager with an MBA, Ellery is a temporary stepping-stone to bigger and better places—that is, if his high-powered wife has her way. Compelling, flawed, and heartbreakingly human, these men and women scheme, fall in and out of love, and nurture dreams big and small. As their individual circumstances shift, one thing remains constant—Rosa, the sun around whom they all orbit. When her world begins to crumble, the implications for everyone are profound, and Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves changed in ways beyond their reckoning. Jillian Medoff explores the inner workings of an American company in all its brilliant, insane, comforting, and terrifying glory. Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt* is a novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.
Review
Medoff brilliantly shares looks at all the characters and their lives both in and out of the workplace, and while the subject matter can sometimes be serious or gripping in a more emotional way, there is still plenty of bite from her witty writing. -- "RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!)"
A thoroughly satisfying character study and exploration of the social microcosm that is the modern workplace ... An ultimately hopeful, completely inventive tale. -- "Library Journal (starred review)"
Witty...wry and ironic...A sharp and moving novel. -- "Publishers Weekly"
Medoff's scenarios will be familiar to everyone employed everywhere, no matter the company size, and she cogently captures the angst and celebrates the camaraderie of coworkers committed to group success while struggling with personal demons. -- "Booklist"
Intrigue swirls around HR executive Rosa Guerrero in this engrossing workplace drama...A sharp-eyed novel of corporate manners. -- "Kirkus Reviews"
A refreshingly authentic portrait of corporate America and the varied souls who dream, conspire, flounder, and triumph there. -- "Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End"
Searing, sexy, and surprisingly funny, Jillian Medoff's This Could Hurt burns through the pages. -- "Marcy Dermansky, author of The Red Car"
Funny, painful, and ultimately redemptive, This Could Hurt is a beautifully drawn canvas of corporate America in all its lunacy. -- "John Kenney, Thurber Prize-winning author"
You wouldn't expect a corporate HR department to house a thrill-ride of a novel, but Jillian Medoff pulls off the impossible here. Funny, searing, and wholly original, This Could Hurt illuminates an ordinary American workplace and the characters who animate it. With a sharp eye for the absurdities of modern office life, and even deeper compassion for her characters, Medoff knocks this one out of the park. -- "Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life"
Tender and compelling. -- "George Hodgman, author of Bettyville"
From the Back Cover
Against all odds, Rosa Guerrero became a high-ranking executive. By wielding power with grace and compassion, the longtime chief of Human Resources at Ellery Consumer Research has earned the devotion and loyalty of her senior staff. With the economy in the tank and unemployment on the rise, Ellery’s future looks grim. While Rosa fights to insulate her people from the harsh realities of business, they’re facing crises of their own. Unlike Leo Smalls, who has no life outside of Ellery (or Rosa), Rob Hirsch’s existential dread pushes him closer to his “work wife,” Lucy Bender—a brainy, ambitious VP who is desperate to find meaning in her life. For Kenny Verville, a Wharton MBA, Ellery is merely a stepping-stone to better things—that is, if he can get out of his own way. Day after day, these heartbreakingly flawed coworkers scheme and dream, fall in and out of love, and chase ideas big and small. But when Rosa, their guiding light, begins to unravel, Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves challenged in ways beyond their reckoning. Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt is a masterful novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.