Since the Layoffs

by Iain Levison

"[A] dark, satirical comedy. . . . Written with the same kind of deadpan humor Levison used so well in his first book."— USA Today

"A gleeful satire. . . . It’s an amusingly bleak little (im)moral fable."— Detroit Free Press

"Exciting, funny, poignant and sociologically important."— The Chicago Tribune

"Levison’s irony is acute as he caricatures the working world’s groundlings."— The New York Times Book Review

The work Jake Skowran is offered is a lot less than legal. He’s got little choice except to take it. The guys who owned the factory have left town for someplace where there’s more sun and cheaper labor. The deserted plant is fenced in and the fence topped with razor wire, as if they’d worried that the locals would steal tractor-building equipment and start making tractors in their basements. Jake’s girlfriend has also decamped (along with the vacuum cleaner and the entertainment center).

"She went off with some used car dealer, huh?" his bookie mocks.

"He was a new car dealer," Jake retorts.

Jake’s got six months of unemployment left before he’s dead broke and the locks get changed. Life has turned into one big downgrade. It has downsized and hardened him. He’s up for anything. The economy is pain, lies and silliness, and he is going to carve off a piece of it for himself or die trying.

Iain Levison is the author of A Working Stiff’s Manifesto , an account of his postcollegiate work experience, consisting of 42 jobs in 10 years. He lives in Philadelphia.

Genres: Fiction, Roman, Novels, 21st Century, Thriller, Crime, American

188 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

Iain Levison was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1963. Since moving to the United States, he has worked as a fisherman, carpenter, and cook, and he has detailed his woes of wage slavery in A Working Stiff’s Manifesto.

He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Levison book I’ve read (this is his first novel). Another thoroughly enjoyable book with some themes that I recognize as ones that will be recurring (in “How to Rob an Armored Car.”). These themes are: marginalized characters working crap jobs in dead end towns, just trying to get by, who get enlisted into doing some completely outrageous criminal scheme that winds up being completely sensible within the context of the story. This one is aptly titled. Every action taken by its main character, and all the people who inhabit this story, is propelled by a huge factory downsizing, leading many who were once having comfortable middle class existences to try to make ends meet however they can. In the case of the narrator, the profession he falls into in this economy is as a hired assassin.

It’s a hoot. A brief hoot at 177 pages, but a hoot nonetheless. If you take it to jury duty or something, maybe take along another of Levison’s books, in case it’s a long day and you are spending a lot of time sitting. That way, you won’t worry about running out of reading material.
For me, it’s on to the next book by my current favorite author. This book is funny in a laugh-out-loud sort of way, absurd without being annoyingly so. It’s kind of like Clerks 2 meets Goodfellas (although I have to admit, I’ve never actually seen Goodfellas), as ultimately our hero just wants to get out of the killing business to open a convenience store.
Without spoiling the ending--let’s just say that the tone remains gleeful and fun, making light of the serious business of unemployment. Great fun!

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A excellent little crime book about a laid of factory worker who picks up work as a hired killer. Laced with dark humor and penetrating observations on the sociology and economics of the eroding blue-collar American workplace, Levison tells his story with economy and refreshing brevity. The slight petering-out of the story at the end isn't going to keep me away from the Levison shelf at the local libarary!

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Jake Skowran
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Jake Skowran has been having a hard time since being laid off from his job as a factory loading dock supervisor. He's pretty much lost everything, including his girlfriend, and is in debt to a local bookie named Ken Gardocki for almost $5000. Gardocki offers Jake the opportunity to erase the debt plus make a little extra cash if Jake kills Gardocki's wife. Jake suffers no moral pangs from doing the deed and ends up becoming Gardocki's private hit man. I almost stopped reading near the beginning but am glad I stayed with it - it's nicely twisted with a bit of a surprising ending.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Since the Layoffs" was a rather short read packed with events, so I feel like I actually must have read a much longer book :) It also was my second book in row dealing with economic crisis situations, this time a tractor parts factory closing down in a town in Wisconsin and moving off to a cheaper production location, leaving almost a whole town job- and hopeless. The protagonist Jake has been unemployed for 9 months when all of a sudden, he's offered two jobs which keep him busy and get him and his life back on track. I really liked this story!

[Tims Treikulis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viena no retajām grāmatām, kas lika man smieties līdz asarām, īpaši, šis fragments: "Man būs šī lente jāsadedzina, bet Kena smiekli ir gandrīz lipīgi, jūtu, ka sāku ķiķināt, atstāstot, kā drāzos pakaļ pilotam ar čurās izmirkušu, smiltīm piebirušu šauteni rokā, viss velti, un kā es pēc tam plunkšķinājos viņam pakaļ pa viļņiem, tēlodams aligatoru."

[Dan Organ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Dark satire that has you rooting for the main character who is a real underdog battler who at the same time is assassinating people to get by.

The story had me hooked and i banged this book out inside a day.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable one-day read. I'm not quite sure why I liked the book so much, and I didn't like it as much as Working Stiff's Manifesto but it was still very good.

[Marcis Erdeli]

Grāmatas autors ir Ieins Levisons. Darba nosaukums ir ''Kopš tā laika''. Romāns norisinās kādā no ASV mazpilsētām, kad piepeši to piemeklē ekonomiska krīze - pilsētu pamet uzņēmums, kas bija vienīgais mazpilsētā, kas nodrošināja cilvēkus ar darbu. Izvēlējos šo grāmatu, jo tāda tipa romānu vispār nebiju lasījis, romāns ir ļoti aizraujošs,neparedzams kā arī dramatisks un traģisks, kas spilgti apraksta mazpilsētas dzīvi pēc ražotnes slēgšanas.
Romāna galvenais tēls ir Džeiks Skovrans. Kura dzīve dzimtajā pilsēta bija ideāla - viņam bija darbs un draudzene ar kuru viņš dzīvoja kopā. Bet vienīgā ražotne tika pārcelta uz citu pilsētu, jo valstī sākās ekonomiskā krīze, un fabrikai nebija vairs izdevīgi uzturēties mazajā pilsētā. Lielākā daļa mazpilsētnieku bija bezdarbnieku, kura starpā bez darba palikušais Džeiks - godīgs, nikns un bezizejā iedzīts mazais cilvēks. Rezultā Džeiks uzņēmās darbu, ko nekādi nevar nosaukt par likumīgu. Viņš kļūst par algotu slepkavu. Romāns ir veidots klasiskā stilā, jo galvenais varonis pārdzīvo par savu izvēlēto profesiju un par nogalinātiem cilvēkiem, bet viņš vienmēr sevi mierina, ka šis ir vienīgais veids kā nopelnīt iztiku šajā pilsētā.
Es ieteiktu izlasīt šo grāmatu visiem, kam patīk romāns ar dramatiskiem un neparedzamiem notikumiem. Šis romāns tiešām ir ļoti labs ,kas liek aizrautīgi dzīvot līdzi notiekošajam, sajūsmina ar neuzbāzīgo humoru, kas caurstrāvo šo darbu.

[mariesophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book deals with the issue of being unemployed and lost in a world where it seems you are on your own. We are introduced to the main character named Jake, who lost his job at a factory almost a year ago. Since then he has lived from unemployment checks and borrowed money. It takes a turn when he is offered a rather dark job by the local criminal boss. Jake has to kill the guy’s wife. He alarmingly easily adapts to his new career and turns out to be quite suited for it. Through this work he gets hand on some money and finally repays his gambling debts. The next task is not long in coming but he gets ahead of himself and is not careful enough. The police are interrogating him but he keeps his cool and soon is on free foot again.
In not even 200 pages, Jake commits five homicides and gets away with every one of them. In the end he and the woman he falls in love with are expecting, he owns his own convenience store with his best friend and makes honest money.

The one thing about this book, which is by far the most daunting to me, is that the reader is sympathising with Jake. You witness him terminating five people and still believe he is a fairly good guy. When everything turns out alright for him, you are relieved.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In December of 2001, I was laid off from a job that I had had for 24 years. At the time, I became depressed, but then Al Genie, a professor at Loyola University, discussed books on working and work ethics on the local NPR station. The premise of the book, is that some people will do anything to work, and the hero finds a job with his bookie as a hit man. It is a gruesome book in that respect, but the story is interesting and the book is short.

Both times after I read the book, I felt better. I think that reading the book took me through the anger that one feels on losing a job and the wish to strike out. Thank God for books that let you fantasize as opposed to actually doing what the protagonist decided to do.

[Éric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It takes place in a small Wisconsin town after the shut down of a factory, and after most people have lost their jobs. The book oscillates between the ironic depiction of an economic machine that breaks people and the personal story of Jake, the main character. The book is really funny, with a dark and acrid humour.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent book. The story hits home for me because my father is an auto worker. Sometimes i bet he wished he just up and made himself in to a killer for hire. It beats paying to see a shrink.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of opening this book on a Friday evening while waiting for someone else to get out of work. I was two hours late and left the party early to go home and finish it. Very funny but never glib.

[Maarten Mathijssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small but beautiful novel about the economic (and moral) decline of a America. Almost frightening how acceptabel the nihilistic, amoral attitude of the main character is. Great inside in a American culture.

[Bobsie67 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Grabbed me right from the start. This novel needs to be kept away from disgruntled employees without a sense of humor.

[Gregheiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny. A real page turner.

[Surfing Moose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice romp from unemployment and angry to hitman.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little satire on the Blue Collar Condition. Light and (sporadically) very funny, but still raises some interesting questions.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining!

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iain Levison wrote several books—all good, each better than the last—and then seemed to fall off the edge of the Earth. The last I read, he was in China, teaching English. He debuted with A Working Stiff’s Manifesto, a humorous, well-written nonfiction book about the various crap jobs he’d had. This, his second book, covers much of the same terrain, with the same acerbic sense of humor and raging sense of injustice.
Fiction calls for a different skillset than nonfiction and not everyone has the chops to do both (or either.) Thankfully, though, Levison has the ingredients.
Since the Layoffs follows the hard times of one Jake Skowran, a bright-but-underemployed former factory worker living in the Rustbelt. Times were once good, or at least good enough for Jake to bet a yard on a football game and not panic if he lost. But now the factory’s shuttered and the town is ailing and unlikely to recover.
Jake’s unpaid bills are mounting, his cable’s been cut, and he’s one bad break away from living under a bridge. Enter Ken Gardocki, the local bookie (who Jake owes big.) He gives Jake a proposition: kill Gardocki’s gold-digging wife, and not only will the slate be wiped clean, but Gardocki will give him a few hundred bucks.
“In hard times,” the Germans say, “the Devil Eats his own Flies.” And Jake is just desperate enough to not only do the job, but rationalize it. Not only that, but after he’s done he finds that murder-for-hire is a pretty good way to vent one’s frustrations, escape their sense of impotence. The book’s moral (if it has one) is that man needs purpose in order to have dignity, and that killing—while unsavory—can provide that purpose.
It's a short breezy pleasure read that skirts the edge of stridency at times, with Jake mostly sounding reasonable but occasionally hitting a self-righteous note. There’s also some repetition in terms of the complaints he makes and the insights he has. But in a way the repetition works, as it becomes a refrain, a leitmotif, even a howl at the injustice of it all. Like Mike Judge, Levison has a seething-but-insightful hatred for corporate doublespeak, and the kinds of middle management & HR drones who serve the system so soullessly.
There’s something so satisfying about the idea of killing the guy who thinks, that by firing you, he holds your fate in his hands. It’s a fantasy, sure, and Since the Layoffs works best in that spirit, but the important thing is that it works. I read it years ago and enjoyed it, as I did everything else Levison wrote. Alas, he wasn’t very prolific, which makes his seeming retirement from this dirty game all the more tragic. Recommended, for those looking for a fun read with a strong, unsubtle proworker subtext.

[Ieva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Izvēle manam lasīšanas bingo lauciņam "autoram ir tādi pat iniciāļi kā tev" (turklāt pat ne IL, bet tieši IeL !) - citādi man nebija ne jausmas, kas tā ir par grāmatu un ko man no tās sagaidīt. Kopumā - ātra lasāmviela, pārpilna ar ironiju un melno humoru. Situācijas apraksts par mazpilsētu, kurā slēdz fabriku un teju visi zaudē darbu ir izdevies ļoti reālistisks. Taču galveno varoni gan nekādi nespēju uztvert kā reālu - kaut kā trūka, pārāk vienkārša bija tā pāreja no parast bezdarbnieka uz algotu slepkavu un atpakaļ par parastu darba cilvēku, man prasījās kaut kā vairāk .

[Arne Patat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eerlijk, ik nam dit boek mee uit de bib om iets Nederlandstaligs te hebben. Het was een uitstekend boek, met grappige commentaar van het hoofdpersonage. Enkel het einde is bar slecht; het hele boek door wordt er over huurmoord gesproken als een baantje als een ander, met steeds meer en meer 'deranged' commentaar en acties, en op het einde komt alles zonder slag of stoot goed. Ik had liever bloed, moord en dood gezien, liever een tragisch einde dat de boodschap van dit boek onderbouwt, en dus geen happy end. Omwille van het einde dus anderhalve ster eraf.

[Kerrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was barely a 3/5 because it just didn't make sense that the main character could easily use a gun with zero training/experience, make perfect hits (for first 3 victims) and then feel no remorse for doing any of the killings. Other than that too wild feat of suspending my disbelief, the story is ok. It seemed like it was trying to be funny, but just wasn't. Again, it was ok. It was just too ridiculous in some parts.

[Amélie Neufcour · Rating 4 out of 5]

l’histoire d’un américain qui perd tout après la perte de son travail à l’usine et qui se z trouve à errer dans une ville en déficit budgétaire. il accepte de devenir tueur à gagé pour de l’argent et fini même pas tuer certaines personnes qui l’énervent sans être payé. bcp de légèreté pour un homme capable de commettre le pire, un contraste intéressant et un livre prenant

[Lili Aurelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire pas très morale, c'est sûr, mais ne boudons pas notre plaisir : l'auteur réussi à manier humour noir et cynisme, avec en toile de fond une ville et ses habitants à la dérive suite à la fermeture de l'usine qui la faisait vivre.

[Leo Labs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un court roman léger, divertissant, amusant, intelligent et saupoudré de noir. L'excellente satire de cette société capitaliste à la hiérarchie pyramidale dans laquelle nous vivons. J'ai adoré ma lecture et la recommande fortement.

[Matthiaasr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super livre j'ai juste trouvé la fin un poil rapide quand même (si je pouvais mettre 4.5 ⭐️ je les mettrais)

[Candy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it, I found it super boring and devoid of plot.

[A.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se lit d'une traite. Les situations et répliques m'ont bien amusé.