For those who have resented sitting through drawn-out, tedious work meetings, Greg Bardsley's second novel will immediately strike a chord. Both a searing corporate satire and absurdist comedy, The Bob Watson follows the adventures of Rick Blanco, a mid-level employee working in bottom-tier data collection at a company for which he feels no affinity. Inspired by former employee Bob Watson, Blanco survives his job by mastering the art of escape. He dodges meetings, whole afternoons, even corporate retreats in such a smooth and subtle way that no one notices.
Most days, Blanco's motives are almost pathetically innocent--to get back to his desk to get actual work done, maybe run across the street to grab a coffee. That changes when the woman of his dreams issues him a challenge he can't turn down: pull the ultimate Bob Watson and help his nephew duck school, Mandarin lessons and SAT prep so he can unwind for a day. The goal seems attainable until an odd turn of events leads Blanco to Mama, an elderly woman with a questionable grasp on reality. Mama mistakes Blanco for her ex-husband, an HR executive notorious for replacing employees with convicted felons. She leads Blanco down a rabbit hole involving drunken ex-convicts, break-ins and some repressed personal issues he was unprepared to face.
The fine line between despair and humor is familiar territory for Bardsley, a former Silicon Valley speechwriter and ghostwriter whose debut novel, Cash Out, also satirized corporate culture. Through his colorful, cinematic lens, even the most mundane settings contain hilarity and humanity. --Annie Atherton, freelance reviewer