Stephen J. Wallace
River Grove Books (2026)
ISBN: 979-8900520353
Reviewed by Rob Laymon for Reader Views (09/2026)
How else can one write about office work except as a comedy? The people in an office are usually caricatures, the work that goes on is ridiculous, and corporate policies are almost always absurd.
All right, maybe not in all offices. But certainly in the one Stephen J. Wallace creates in Average Civil Employee: A Novel of Bureaucratic Absurdities. Wallace has the gift of nailing down office idiosyncrasies, turning everyday workplace anxieties into pure comedy. Though he has chosen to set his story in “an average cubicle in an average common area in an average building in an average—oops, ‘very important’—federal agency,” this setting could be any office in America.
Which means readers with any experience in the corporate grind may find themselves nodding in hilarious recognition at the meetings that go round in circles, the careful avoidance of conversational triggers among colleagues, the illogical and often hazardous policies that come down from on high, the workmates who exhibit their own penchants for disruption.
Such as Negativa Diva, who knows exactly which rule you are violating and intends to tell your boss; or Mini, her slavish minion; or Buzz, short for busy, who can’t wait to barricade you into a corner and tell you all the important work he’s done.
The hero of this story, who calls himself Ace (Average Civil Employee), comes across as the only reliable character in this mob. He does a good job reporting on the absurdities around him without separating completely from them. It’s Microserfs meets The Keystone Cops. Wallace’s sharp narration highlights this administrative gridlock beautifully:
I have to say, Vi ran a great meeting. We showed up, restated the problem we had been working on for months, got a reminder from Walt of the terrible consequences of both fixing and not fixing it, and then dutifully planned the next meeting while taking into account the sensibilities of every conceivable group we could imagine, even though no one in the meeting was from any of those groups. The meeting had been a huge success, and there was no reason to focus on something insignificant like the fact that nothing was really accomplished.
As for story, well, there isn’t terribly much of it. Ace becomes acting boss of his group when his own boss goes away for training, and gets a prompt and thorough education in how it feels on the other side of the desk. Yet, the minimalist plot never detracts from the book’s success. The true narrative lies in this spot-on, deeply funny portrait of early 21st-century office life.
At a Glance: A workplace satire set inside a federal agency, where an ordinary employee navigates bureaucratic absurdity, eccentric coworkers, pointless meetings, and a temporary turn as the boss. The humor centers on the familiar frustrations and contradictions of modern office culture.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy: workplace comedy, office satire, bureaucratic humor, federal government fiction, quirky coworkers, corporate absurdity, cubicle life, dry observational humor, books about office politics