To read or not to read? Shelf Pleasure’s quick take on Camille Perri’s The Assistants….
Penguin Random House (April 8, 2016)
By: Jackie Kimmel
Are you passionate about social inequality? Have you ever been an assistant? Have you ever considered grand larceny or corporate blackmail? Then I have a book for you. Camille Perri’s debut novel, The Assistants, features a fun plot starring an assistant with a scheme to erase her student debt—and quickly snowballs into a plan to alter social inequality at one of the world’s largest media conglomerates, Titan Corp.
The novel is a Devil Wears Prada meets Robin Hood story with a dash of romance in the mix. The main character, Tina, is the assistant for Titan Corp’s head honcho, Robert Barlow. Barlow is a media mogul known for his quick temper and business savvy, who enjoys throwing money around while his own assistant drowns in student debt simply trying to survive. What starts as an accounting error, which leaves Tina with an extra 20k on her hands, turns into a comedy of assistants trying to wiggle their way out of debt. A simple plan to commit grand larceny for the betterment of a few assistants turns into a touching story of teamwork and social justice. Author Camille Perri wrote this book while working as an assistant, lending the novel a real feel for the life of an assistant.