Tom Rachman was born in London and raised in Vancouver. A graduate of the University of Toronto and the Columbia School of Journalism, he has been a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, stationed in Rome. From 2006 to 2008, he worked as an editor at the International Herald Tribune in Paris. He lives in Rome.
“Marvelous … A rich, thrilling book that is both a love letter to
and epitaph for the newspaper world…Mr. Rachman’s transition from
journalism to fiction writing is nothing short of spectacular. The
Imperfectionists is a splendid original, filled with wit and
structured so ingeniously that figuring out where the author is
headed is half the reader’s fun. The other half comes from his
sparkling descriptions not only of newspaper office denizens but of
the tricks of their trade, presented in language that is smartly
satirical yet brimming with affection.”
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"This first novel by Tom Rachman, a London-born journalist who has
lived and worked all over the world, is so good I had to read it
twice simply to figure out how he pulled it off. I still haven't
answered that question, nor do I know how someone so young ...
could have acquired such a precocious grasp of human foibles. The
novel is alternately hilarious and heart-wrenching."
—Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review (Front-Page
Review)
"[An] acute debut…[Rachman] paints the characters’ small dramas and
private disappointments with humanity and humor."
—The New Yorker
“[A] beguiling first novel…One by one these journalists are trotted
through their tragicomic hamster wheels…Rachman [is] always finding
new ways to surprise us.”
—Washington Post
“Charming. .. . The print newspaper may be an endangered species,
but the newsroom - with its deadlines, quirky characters and
investigative crusades - still makes for a good story.”
—New York Newsday
“Laced with humor, irony and compassion. . . . some of the chapters
are absolute gems.”
—Dallas Morning News
“The Imperfectionists will make you laugh and cry. It's the rare
novel that can shift emotional tone effortlessly . . .
Magnificent.”
—Seattle Post Intelligencer
“Rachman has created a series of vividly memorable characters.”
—The Boston Globe
“Rachman is an admirable stylist. Each chapter is so finely wrought
that it could stand alone as a memorable short story. Slowly, the
separate strands become entwined and the line characters have drawn
between their work and home lives is erased…. funny, poignant,
occasionally breathtaking.”
—Financial Times
“In his zinger of a debut, Rachman deftly applies his experience as
foreign correspondent and editor to chart the goings-on at a
scrappy English-language newspaper in Rome. Chapters read like
exquisite short stories, As the ragtag staff faces down the
implications of the paper's tilt into oblivion, there are more than
enough sublime moments, unexpected turns and sheer inky
wretchedness to warrant putting this on the shelf next to other
great newspaper novels.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A very strong debut. Funny, humane and artful”
—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] polished, sophisticated debut"
—Library Journal
"Elegiac and bitter, funny and shocking. A group
portrait of fascinating characters with nothing in common but their
dedication to a doomed idea. I loved it."
—Arthur Phillips, author of Prague and The Song Is You
"Tom Rachman is absolutely a writer to watch, with the ingenious
knack of getting under the skin of his characters. The
Imperfectionists offers a witty, poignant glimpse into the universe
of expatriates living in Rome, and the dreams, stress, and
melodrama of a small newspaper. Rachman is clearly at home in these
worlds, and his portrait is alternately hilarious, sad, intensely
human, and always spot-on in its accuracy."
—Andrea Lee, author of Lost Hearts in Italy
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