Anyone can work in a convenience store, but some people really shouldn't... James Sims is a recent college graduate who has done everything by the book, but that doesn't mean that he has actually done anything right. With an expensive coffee coaster for a degree and no idea what he is going to do with the rest of his life, James finds himself working nights at the busiest gas station in his small Michigan town. It's the last place he should be. Shift Change is a misanthropic and confessional dark comedy. It's sometimes poignant but it's more often ridiculous. Either way, It's always self-indulgent. Based on the author's own experiences working in the service industry, Shift Change is an exploration of what happens when you never stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It's not for everybody.

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Praise for Shift Change, from aili_annuk on Instagram:

"Shift Change" by Mark Hunter. Published in 2019.

? James Jonathan Sims, a recent college graduate, starts working night shifts at a gas station in a small Michigan town. He's not sure what to do with his life and with the choices he's already made. Working for minimum wage for a large corporation isn't exactly his dream job but he always tries to give his best effort. But working with colleagues who have questionable morals or who sometimes don't even bother to do the tasks expected of them, James slowly goes down the rabbit hole himself. But with a better moral compass of course.

Story is narrated by protagonist's point of view and follows his time at the gas station over 5 years. His character is humorous in a cynical way, as he shares his thoughts and feelings about his colleagues, their work environment, customers, the job itself and (his) life in general. Author has said that "Shift Change is a misanthropic and confessional dark comedy" and that it is. I'm sure everyone who's had even a little work experience can relate to some of the things written in this book. Or who have had doubts about their direction in life.

The title of the book, "Shift Change", seems to be referring to more than the end of your work day. Author has brilliantly captured many of the universal feelings that come with uncertainty about what to do with your life while trying to pose as a functioning adult. Or a devoted employee. Most of the time it's one man's inner monologue that's at times borderline philosophical yet darkly funny and relatable.

I personally love books written in this style. And I loved reading this one. There were so many places I'd like to quote but the word limit here will not allow it. Definitely recommend to read it.

? "You need to select a suitable model to measure your success against because there will always be plenty of evidence available to suggest that you're actually failing."

"We have much more control over when we reach a breaking point than we really care to admit."

"My previous employment experiences had taught me that we were often trained to do one thing and then expected to do something else in practice."

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Also recommended for fans of: Charles Bukowski, Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, Franz Kafka, Barbara Ehrenreich
Haruki Murakami, Raymond Carver, Bret Easton Ellis, Richard Yates and Irvine Welsh.

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• Literature & FictionHistorical FictionBiographical
• Literature & FictionGenre FictionBiographical
• Literature & FictionHumour & SatireDark Comedy

• Publication Date: July 5, 2019
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 211 Pages
• File Size: 42 KB