Synopses & Reviews
In Temporary, a young woman's workplace is the size of the world. She fills increasingly bizarre placements in search of steadiness, connection, and something, at last, to call her own. Whether it's shining an endless closet of shoes, swabbing the deck of a pirate ship, assisting an assassin, or filling in for the Chairman of the Board, for the mythical Temporary, "there is nothing more personal than doing your job."
This riveting quest, at once hilarious and profound, will resonate with anyone who has ever done their best at work, even when the work is only Temporary.
Review
"If a Salvador Dali painting were reimagined as a contemporary novel, it would be Leichter's Temporary, a trippy commentary on workplace culture and the gig economy….With beautiful prose and colorful imagery, it's a poetic tour de force." Parade
Review
"In this fever dream of a novel, a young woman navigates the impermanence and forced intimacy of life as a professional temp....A potent and ethereal look at late capitalism for the young professional. Perfect for fans of Severance by Ling Ma." Booklist
Review
"[A] deeply hilarious, surreal manifesto against late-stage capitalism, all wrapped up in a mushroom trip. So, you know, exactly what we need in 2020….I felt as if Leichter knew just what this year had in store for us." The New York Times
Review
"Leichter's funny, absurdist debut cleverly explores a capitalist society taken to a dreamlike extreme....her cutting, hilarious critique of the American dream will appeal to fans of Italo Calvino." Publishers Weekly, (Starred Review)
About the Author
Hilary Leichter is author of the novel Temporary. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the New Yorker, Harper's, n+1, Bookforum, Conjunctions, the Cut, and American Short Fiction. She teaches at Columbia University.