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Fortune magazine columnist Stanley Bing is the perfect author to write a novel that captures the true essence of corporate America in the late 1990s. Bing's YOU LOOK NICE TODAY portrays in fine detail how zany and decadent the end of the era was as he disguises his work around a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Stock options, exorbitant salaries, lavish expense accounts and endless junkets are all a major part of this book. And of course, no novel about corporate America in the late 1990s would be complete without a token reference to Starbucks Coffee.
The novel is narrated in fine fashion throughout by Fredrick Tell, the best friend of the story's main character, Robert Harbert. These two men work side by side as high-profile executives at Global Fiduciary Trust in Chicago. But on the day Harbert hires CaroleAnne Winter as his new executive assistant, his life and Tell's change forever.
Harbert is clearly smitten with the younger and highly organized CaroleAnne --- so smitten in fact that he comes up with a nickname for her, gives her his used car and sets her up in an apartment to escape the clutches of an abusive relationship. And if things couldn't get any worse, Harbert, who Tell refers to as "Harb", digs into his own pocket to give his leggy sexpot a bonus.
While Harbert becomes more deeply involved with CaroleAnne, there is never even a mention by Bing of some extramarital affair between the boss and his vivacious underling. But before you know it, CarolAnne decides to stop making coffee and slaps down upon Harbert a sexual harassment lawsuit that fingers not only him, but other administrative assistants and executives as well.
Bing's novel also touches upon how corporate America at the time and even today views executives in the twilight of their careers. Despite being given a substantial financial package, Harbert realizes that his days are over due to his age and the amount of gray hair atop his head. Tell laments about the loss of Harbert's friendship in the workplace.
The trial itself is possibly Bing at his best. Some of the proceedings, such as the opening arguments, are presented as actual court records and contain hilarious footnotes written by Tell. Many times while reading the book, this reviewer busted out laughing at these numerous footnotes. During CaroleAnne's testimony, Tell informs the reader that Harbert, instead of listening to her, sits and plays Game Boy, utterly unaware of his former secretary's damaging revelations.
YOU LOOK NICE TODAY works because of Bing's narrator. Without Tell, this novel would not have been as good. Tell encompasses the entire story flawlessly and keeps it grounded, while Harbert gets tossed out by his wife --- but not before final copulation.
Unfortunately the novel does sputter at times, though it never breaks down. Bing spends too much time on Harbert in the latter part of the novel and not enough on CaroleAnne. Furthermore, Harbert's wife seems too superfluous and comes off as being superficial at best.
Although YOU LOOK NICE TODAY is purely fictional, it does a triumphant job in detailing the conclusion of corporate excess in America at the end of the 1990s.
--- Reviewed by David Exum
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