re: the wasps

by John "Jack" O'Brien

Welcome to Obelus Incorporated, a seemingly ordinary office building, home to hard-working insects and parasitic employees. This collection of interconnected short stories about corporate lost souls facing bizarre transformations is a darkly funny fever dream sure to inspire nightmares.

151 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2017

Reviews

[Fred Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have gone with four stars if I had understood the ending.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting and wonderfully weird

This is a lovely little book that gracefully crosses the line from magical realism into the bizarre, and will leave you wanting more.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack O'Brien's debut novel, re: the wasps, defies conventional story arcs to create a rich, dark examination of mundane office life and relationships. Not that it's so serious; there is a pervasive sense of humor, twisted though it may be. The short, easily chewable chapters are a sort of series of vignettes but with a few common threads; each character's story could easily stand alone, yet they also work together to create a well-executed single work, much like the metaphorical (and literal) wasps of the title and their impressive nests.

O'Brien uses postmodern tropes such as magical realism, blending the fantastic and absurd seamlessly with the realistic and ordinary, reminding me of postmodern writer Italo Calvino. I would highly recommend this novel, in fact, as an approachable example of many of the elements of postmodern fiction. How exciting to find a debut work that is both entertaining and of real merit!

I enjoyed this book very much, and I think O'Brien is a new voice worthy of attention. I know I will be awaiting his next work eagerly.