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The Interview
See the trailer here: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iz75-T9rEA In a city racked by poverty and discontent, twelve people arrive for an interview with the all powerful Frontline Corporation. The successful candidate will trade hunger and hardship for a life of luxury and excess. However, it quickly becomes clear that The Interview is nothing like they expected. Who will survive the brutal waiting game that unfolds? To what lengths are the candidates willing to go to secure the job? And what secrets are they hiding from one another? The Interview is an expansive novel told in separate narrative threads, the first focusing on the events in the claustrophobic Interview room and the second going outside into the wider city where its citizens are being crushed under a brutal regime but where reform might just be on the horizon.
286 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2015
81 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 21, 2016
Wow what a book. I have to say I was not expecting a great deal from this but gee how wrong I was. I picked it up yesterday and had to keep reading till I had finished. The book is set in the future in the year 2078 and focuses on 12 individuals all trying to win a place with the very powerful Frontline Corporation. The city itself is surrounded by worry, poverty and unhappiness.
The candidates are taken into a room on arrival, totally unaware of what they will be facing. Pretty soon they realise that this is a very different kind of interview and that they soon will be fighting for survival. So how far will the candidates go to come out on top? How hard would you fight to make your way out? This is a psychologically fascinating read that I thoroughly enjoyed and will stay with me for quite a while.
The candidates are taken into a room on arrival, totally unaware of what they will be facing. Pretty soon they realise that this is a very different kind of interview and that they soon will be fighting for survival. So how far will the candidates go to come out on top? How hard would you fight to make your way out? This is a psychologically fascinating read that I thoroughly enjoyed and will stay with me for quite a while.
January 5, 2020
Bought this as a freebie a few years back and was pleasantly surprised, cracking little story.
January 27, 2016
A tragic portrayal of a society fighting for its existence in what's left of our world near the end of this century. A very well structured story of twelve desperate people, in a room together, set against each other... Yet, not everything that happens is in their hands.
You don't need to be a science fiction fan to fully enjoy this excellent novel.
You don't need to be a science fiction fan to fully enjoy this excellent novel.
May 17, 2016
An excellent addition to the Dystopian Future genre. This book is set less than a hundred years from now, when a company called Frontline controls everything.
Inside the walls is an idyllic life, but outside in the city is poverty and hardship, while in the lands outside even the city society has totally unravelled.
Once a year twelve people from the city are given the chance to escape their downtrodden existence. They are called for interview inside the massive Frontline HQ, but only one of them can emerge victorious, with a job, a house and a better life.
We learn the backstory of each of the twelve, and also live the horrors of the very specific interview process. Which of them will grasp the opportunity of freedom from scarcity of food and the dangers of living in a city governed by a powerful conglomerate?
Well worth a read.
Inside the walls is an idyllic life, but outside in the city is poverty and hardship, while in the lands outside even the city society has totally unravelled.
Once a year twelve people from the city are given the chance to escape their downtrodden existence. They are called for interview inside the massive Frontline HQ, but only one of them can emerge victorious, with a job, a house and a better life.
We learn the backstory of each of the twelve, and also live the horrors of the very specific interview process. Which of them will grasp the opportunity of freedom from scarcity of food and the dangers of living in a city governed by a powerful conglomerate?
Well worth a read.
January 28, 2016
A dystopian pageturner set in the not-too-distant future. Nothing is quite what it seems when the interview from hell descends into chaos as twelve desperate candidates fight for the opportunity of a lifetime. Political machinations, devious subterfuges, and personal backstories, all combine as it becomes clear a lot more than one job hinges on this interview process. Lots of cliffhangers, some moments of real poignancy, and a really topical concept --- all in all, a great yarn and enjoyable read.
January 31, 2016
Enjoyed the world I was introduced to. Reading the book was tense and gripping experience and I loved every second of it.
November 16, 2016
This review initially appeared at the New Podler Review of Books.
Let me deal with the obvious: This is a terrible book cover. If I saw this in a book store or it came up on one of my recommendation feeds, I'd chuckle and move on (fortunately, I don't look at the covers for submissions). And that's too bad, because Bruce has written a good story. But this cover does nothing to support the blurb or hint at the content within. Please, Mr. Bruce, check out our list of book cover designers and invest in your cover.
Now onto the review.
There are two threads running through this book: the narrative of the interview and backstory chapters. The chapters alternate. First we have Edgar's narrative of the interview as it happens, and then the next chapter details the backstory of the interviewee that was just eliminated. But only the reader is aware of these backstories; Edgar is ignorant, free to reflect on his insecurity and low self-esteem. Tension is low at first, but as the more timid interviewees give up and depart, people come to realize that their odds of winning have improved and tensions rise. The longer the interview carries on, the more desperate everyone becomes.
One prize not mentioned in the blurb is that the winner of the interview will get to meet the "company alpha", Elise Villette, who has succeeded her recently deceased father as leader of the Frontline Corportation. Meeting Villette is more than just a formality; it becomes the goal of those involved.
We learn through the first few character backstory chapters about the background of this city-state that Frontline controls. Initially, I felt that these chapters were a distraction from the interview narrative. But over time, as more interesting characters were eliminated, they revealed that more is going on in this city than plain vanilla oppression. A revolt is brewing, born from the ashes of a failed one years ago. But the old leaders have split into two factions. One believes that the security forces can be defeated if the seemingly omniscient leader of Frontline is assassinated.
The other faction believes that peace is the answer. This faction is aware of an assassin but not his/her identity. The company already provides essential, albeit meager, services, and this infrastructure needs to be preserved. Villette just needs to change her tack from the oppressive stance of her father to benevolent leader. The peaceful faction attempts to contact interviewees to persuade them of the importance of their mission. They even try to get put their own people in place for the interview.
While I only found a handful of typos, comma punctuation was lacking. The book needs a lot more commas. They were left out of dialogue the majority of the times. Too often a sentence like this: "Where are you going, Harry?" was written as "Where are you going Harry?" If that doesn't bother you, then ignore me.
The Interview proves the adage that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I know people will, and that's a shame. This is a well-crafted story with an assortment of characters with hidden agendas. Whether their goal is to escape poverty or transform the city from the top, the stakes couldn't be higher for the twelve assembled. What starts out as a simple dystopia gradually evolves into an intriguing game of "guess the assassin." Just when I thought I had it figured out, Bruce surprised me. So if you think you've got this book figured out from the cover, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Let me deal with the obvious: This is a terrible book cover. If I saw this in a book store or it came up on one of my recommendation feeds, I'd chuckle and move on (fortunately, I don't look at the covers for submissions). And that's too bad, because Bruce has written a good story. But this cover does nothing to support the blurb or hint at the content within. Please, Mr. Bruce, check out our list of book cover designers and invest in your cover.
Now onto the review.
There are two threads running through this book: the narrative of the interview and backstory chapters. The chapters alternate. First we have Edgar's narrative of the interview as it happens, and then the next chapter details the backstory of the interviewee that was just eliminated. But only the reader is aware of these backstories; Edgar is ignorant, free to reflect on his insecurity and low self-esteem. Tension is low at first, but as the more timid interviewees give up and depart, people come to realize that their odds of winning have improved and tensions rise. The longer the interview carries on, the more desperate everyone becomes.
One prize not mentioned in the blurb is that the winner of the interview will get to meet the "company alpha", Elise Villette, who has succeeded her recently deceased father as leader of the Frontline Corportation. Meeting Villette is more than just a formality; it becomes the goal of those involved.
We learn through the first few character backstory chapters about the background of this city-state that Frontline controls. Initially, I felt that these chapters were a distraction from the interview narrative. But over time, as more interesting characters were eliminated, they revealed that more is going on in this city than plain vanilla oppression. A revolt is brewing, born from the ashes of a failed one years ago. But the old leaders have split into two factions. One believes that the security forces can be defeated if the seemingly omniscient leader of Frontline is assassinated.
The other faction believes that peace is the answer. This faction is aware of an assassin but not his/her identity. The company already provides essential, albeit meager, services, and this infrastructure needs to be preserved. Villette just needs to change her tack from the oppressive stance of her father to benevolent leader. The peaceful faction attempts to contact interviewees to persuade them of the importance of their mission. They even try to get put their own people in place for the interview.
While I only found a handful of typos, comma punctuation was lacking. The book needs a lot more commas. They were left out of dialogue the majority of the times. Too often a sentence like this: "Where are you going, Harry?" was written as "Where are you going Harry?" If that doesn't bother you, then ignore me.
The Interview proves the adage that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I know people will, and that's a shame. This is a well-crafted story with an assortment of characters with hidden agendas. Whether their goal is to escape poverty or transform the city from the top, the stakes couldn't be higher for the twelve assembled. What starts out as a simple dystopia gradually evolves into an intriguing game of "guess the assassin." Just when I thought I had it figured out, Bruce surprised me. So if you think you've got this book figured out from the cover, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews