Good and Cheap (Books)! Day 7

We here in Book Land believe in proper manners. Gianna always places her napkin in her lap when she dines at the Olive Garden, for example. I turned my research toward the old world, in this case Germany, for a book called Sorry. We're all class. In order to stay on top of the current trends in proper etiquette, I make time to read the appropriate reference guides. Emily Post? Hell no. Um, excuse me.  Ahem. I think not.

Apologies are important. Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar, drives home this point. This thriller has been compared to the Scandinavian crime novels of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo, but really it could be written about Austin. Four slacker friends, refusing to find "real" jobs, start a company dedicated to an aspect of the corporate world that is missing all too often these days: apologizing. Screw over your coworker for a promotion? Hire Kris, Tamara, Wolf, and Frauke to apologize for you. Breaking up with your girlfriend (or blog partner)? They can smooth out the awkwardness and make everyone feel better about the situation. It's just a nice thing to do. And for the four friends, it's a lucrative enterprise. Who wouldn't want to outsource the least pleasant part of a conversation?

Here's a great job for the crew. A man calls the company for an apology and sends Wolf to a house...where he finds--how do I phrase this nicely?--a woman with a giant spike driven through her head and pinning her to the wall. The killer wants Wolf to apologize, and he's not finished with his crimes, or expressions of

remorse, either. Suddenly saying "sorry" is a lot more complicated and hellish.

Reading Sorry has inspired me to reconsider how I treat people. For example, if I drive a spike through someone's head, I should make certain that I have no regrets first. Why pay extra for the customer service of an apology?

Zoran Dvenkar

Sometimes a really dark thriller hits the spot. BookPage wrote of this book, "Dark, demented, radical and grotesquely humorous, Sorry upends every convention of modern fiction craft, and brilliantly." I will not apologize for recommending this book.