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Thirty Second World
Alison seems to have life sorted. Despite her high-flying job producing commercials she still manages to keep her infant son on the breast and her daughter in Strawberry Pops. But her texts to her best friend Evie tell a much less glamorous story. Beth is new to the ad industry and desperate to impress. But the more she succeeds at work, the more things seem to be unravelling at home. And to make matters worse, she's finding it hard to resist the advances of a sleazy colleague. Things get really messy when a shoot takes their team to an isolated hell-hole in the middle of the South African bush. Accidents happen and dark secrets are revealed, and soon both Beth and Alison are forced to face some home truths. Saucy and smart, Thirty Second World is a funny, moving, real-world tale set in the unreal world of the South African film industry.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 3, 2015
Anyone who has ever had a career in advertising will relate to the shenanigans in Emma van der Vliet’s Thirty Second World. We follow the lives of two women, both at different parts of their careers.
Alison, or Al, as she prefers to be known, is a control freak who thrives on micromanaging everyone and everything around her. Consequently, and despite her tough demeanour, she is blind to her own needs. She is a woman who wants everything – a career and a family – and in her bid to prove her worth, her relationships with her partner, friends and children suffer.
On the other side of the coin we have Beth, who’s just starting out in the high-pressure world of commercial filmmaking. Though she has much to learn, about the work and the people, she brings a refreshing attitude to the jaded crew she joins. Beth hits the ground running, despite her lack of experience. Even though she finds her colleagues’ behaviour a bit trying at times, she clearly has a passion for her chosen career. Her primary problem, however, lies at home, with her boyfriend Dan, who struggles with the fact that Beth is getting sucked into the industry.
Beth and Dan’s relationship comes under pressure, which is not helped by the arrival of a predatory male colleague at Beth’s work. Readers will be able to see the inevitable confrontation coming from a mile away – and it does become more than a little bit uncomfortable for all parties involved.
On the whole, there isn’t much of an earth-shattering plot here. Rather, we see the lives of two women bound in work and friendship, come to important realisations about themselves and the people around them. This is a story about friendship and love, set against the backdrop of the Cape Town film industry, with all its ridiculous demands on people’s time. The writing is detailed, and Van der Vliet is adept at painting detailed, fascinating characters. A bit of head-hopping in the narrative did annoy me, as well as a somewhat implausible, out-of-the-blue event involving a spinster aunt near the end, but overall I found this to be an entertaining read that felt spot on regarding the advertising industry I’ve come to know and loathe.
Alison, or Al, as she prefers to be known, is a control freak who thrives on micromanaging everyone and everything around her. Consequently, and despite her tough demeanour, she is blind to her own needs. She is a woman who wants everything – a career and a family – and in her bid to prove her worth, her relationships with her partner, friends and children suffer.
On the other side of the coin we have Beth, who’s just starting out in the high-pressure world of commercial filmmaking. Though she has much to learn, about the work and the people, she brings a refreshing attitude to the jaded crew she joins. Beth hits the ground running, despite her lack of experience. Even though she finds her colleagues’ behaviour a bit trying at times, she clearly has a passion for her chosen career. Her primary problem, however, lies at home, with her boyfriend Dan, who struggles with the fact that Beth is getting sucked into the industry.
Beth and Dan’s relationship comes under pressure, which is not helped by the arrival of a predatory male colleague at Beth’s work. Readers will be able to see the inevitable confrontation coming from a mile away – and it does become more than a little bit uncomfortable for all parties involved.
On the whole, there isn’t much of an earth-shattering plot here. Rather, we see the lives of two women bound in work and friendship, come to important realisations about themselves and the people around them. This is a story about friendship and love, set against the backdrop of the Cape Town film industry, with all its ridiculous demands on people’s time. The writing is detailed, and Van der Vliet is adept at painting detailed, fascinating characters. A bit of head-hopping in the narrative did annoy me, as well as a somewhat implausible, out-of-the-blue event involving a spinster aunt near the end, but overall I found this to be an entertaining read that felt spot on regarding the advertising industry I’ve come to know and loathe.
June 4, 2013
When I heard Emma van der Vliet was writing another book, I let out a little yelp. A happy yelp!
Emma’s second novel, 'Thirty Second World', like her first, 'Past Imperfect' does not disappoint. The characters are so believable, so relatable that when you’re finished the book, you miss them, like you would a good friend.
As a working mom, I found myself laughing out loud often and felt comforted that I’m not the only mom out there who doesn't coo when they see a dad grocery shopping with two cute tots!
The only drawback of the book (for a busy mom) is that I COULD NOT put it down. I skilfully used every spare second I had to read it and if you’re a mom, you’ll relate to not having many seconds to spare during the day.
Whether you've just started your first job like Beth, have earned your stripes as a working mom like Al or have opted to stay at home with your children like Evie 'Thirty Second World' is a must-read!
Emma’s second novel, 'Thirty Second World', like her first, 'Past Imperfect' does not disappoint. The characters are so believable, so relatable that when you’re finished the book, you miss them, like you would a good friend.
As a working mom, I found myself laughing out loud often and felt comforted that I’m not the only mom out there who doesn't coo when they see a dad grocery shopping with two cute tots!
The only drawback of the book (for a busy mom) is that I COULD NOT put it down. I skilfully used every spare second I had to read it and if you’re a mom, you’ll relate to not having many seconds to spare during the day.
Whether you've just started your first job like Beth, have earned your stripes as a working mom like Al or have opted to stay at home with your children like Evie 'Thirty Second World' is a must-read!
January 12, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed this book:-) I really like her writing. Characters stayed with me even after I had finished the book.
December 8, 2015
South Africans have very unique interpretations of the words “robot” and “matriculate”. They also have a great collage of words that come together to define things like this book: Jawellnofine.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews