How to get Fired

by Evana Belich

Core Life Endeavours? Connie thinks. What are Core Life Endeavours? Is changing into elasticised pants a Core Life Endeavour?

Wry, real and astute, these linked stories are from an exciting new talent.

Mel’s ‘failing at a stupid, screwed-up sales job, selling stupid plastic shelving’. Her days at Pacific Wave Plastics are numbered.

Vic bikes through Christchurch collecting mementoes from the houses she has lived in, while her ex-partner Emma makes the decision to move to Auckland to work at . . . a plastics factory.

And so the chain characters connect obliquely or walk from one story to the next, often oblivious to each other yet united by their daily struggle to negotiate relationships while they try to survive employment, or avoid it, or face getting fired.

‘An utterly absorbing experience that reminded me of Elizabeth Strout’s wonderful Olive Kitteridge. I kept catching my breath as I came across familiar detail presented with a fresh and loving eye. This is simply a must read.’ — Fiona Kidman

Genres: Short Stories

Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2023

Reviews

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories which mostly relate in some way to working and also kind of match up in places with small things or characters overlapping.

Enjoyed this.
My notes as I read:

Motivational Story 4/5
Plastic shelving, twats for coworkers and a career growth course. Ugh. No wonder poor Mel was beside herself.


What She Had 2/5
Woman visits her ex wife and reminisces about collecting things. This one wasn’t interesting to me.

Five Daughters 4/5
A woman shares with her friend that she also had an affair with the same married co worker many years ago. I liked this. Not the affair part, but the friendships forged from years of working together and the monotony of office life.

Me and my Girls 4/5
Creepy story about an incel. Disturbing and pretty realistic attitude from what I’ve read on this topic.

Moses and the wax bars 4/5
Aging guy who hasn’t done well financially in life thinks he’s found his meal ticket. Maybe he has. The ending is open. So sue me, much as I liked the story, I was hoping to see Nina send him packing.

Connie-only specials 5/5
Stress Disorder from 49 years of being female. I appreciated the heck out of Connie.

Episode 4 5/5
So much resonated with me. The guilt of responsibility for someone (real or imagined). Putting up with the “coven” at work and hanging out for it to be over so you can enjoy your sofa time. I am not currently an office worker, but I have been in the past, and theres always a coven! One of my favourites so far.

Aunty Lou (1975) 5/5
Bitter old Aunty Lou. Heaven help me, I got her and I found it very easy to understand what she was getting so bitchy about.

Housewarming 3.5/5
Yes, I agree with Aunty Lou (again) - Fiona was insufferable. This mainly follows Hannah, though. This one was so so for me.


Peach Season 3.5/5
A workplace that is too tight to purchase air con for workers in a tin shed, dehydrated to the point of vomiting is challenged by the Union. Sounded about right.


One in a million 3/5
Continues on from previous. These two are just okay reads to me.

Lambs. 3.5/5
Robbie dreams of giving up his meaningless office job to go and work on a farm. I think most people in full time work could relate. Maybe not to a farm, but an allusive something that isn’t focused on made up targets, slogans and things that don’t matter.

The consolidation phase 4/5
Seamus finds the office meeting excruciating. So did I. Professional accountability and group activities. This book just nails it too well.

Parked Up 4/5
Van life. I liked how this one followed on from an observation made in the previous story made by a character trapped in the office grind. This showed the not so idyllic side.


Christmas and chess 4/5
Family Xmas tensions over the annual dinner. Relatable to anyone who celebrates Xmas with family.

How to get Fired 5/5
The title story. Aged carer does a nice thing for an old lady and is disciplined for it. She weighs up whether losing her job is worth a repeat performance.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories - keenly observed character insights, often in the internal monologues, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. I liked that a number of the stories were linked; some characters reappeared, but not in a continuation of an earlier story, mostly a different time or perspective, or a lesser character in one story becomes the main character in another story.
I liked also the authenticity of the workplace anecdotes, office politics, mundane and sometimes seemingly meaningless work episodes.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 5 out of 5]

These linked short stories take a really good look at various aspects of work environments. The characters are intriguing - complex and rounded - as people in work places are, even though they are often expected to fit into square holes. The author's background tells me she is well qualified to write about these issues. My observation is that, often, fiction is the best tool for the job, so to speak.

[Derek Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharp and poignant commentary on the dynamics of the workplace presented with authenticity and realism. The satire and irony that always lies just below the surface of each story is crafted with humour and a sensitivity that presents most of the characters human and likeable rather than villains.

A read that made me laugh, wince, reminisce and elucidate all at once, my own workplace experiences. Another bright star amongst NewZealands writing fraternity.

[Lisa Glanville · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories is an absolute cracker!
I love how the stories intertwine. They are beautifully written and it was a pleasure to be lost in this world from start to finish.
I'm looking forward to seeing what this author releases next.

[Marcus Hobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixteen short stories which are supposed to be linked.
I wonder if this would have been more successful if the links weren't there at all? Sometimes they felt a bit too forced.

On the positive side, suddenly out of nowhere some brilliant pieces of dialogue would appear and redeem the whole story.

[Kay Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and a few stories appealed. Others felt too much like slices of NZers that I avoid. Maybe good for insights into boring men but Nah, not my thing. More likely to appeal to mainstream readers seeking reflection. For my enjoyment, 3/5 but for writing craft 4/5.

[Josie Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best collection of short stories I've read in ages. Diverse, funny, insightful, interconnected. Im going to have to read the whole thing again.