Patrick Conley

Tales of Profit, Promotion, and Even Grace Patrick Conley

The two novellas in this collection both describe a world gone mad with a frenzied rush for profit and promotion, a world in which bureaucracy seemingly trumps all other considerations. The first novella, "So, This Is It," finds its protagonist unable to find work anywhere except in the ever-expanding government bureaucracy. Reluctantly, he finds himself employed in the Office of the Word. Assigned to do the impossible, the protagonist struggles to find meaning in a world without a soul. The Second novella, "A Fortnight of Frenzy," describes how in the midst of suffering and death, a few individuals manage to exploit pain for gain. The main character and his spouse both work in a hospital and both do their jobs well. However, the protagonist wonders just what is the goal of his job. Is it to enrich the administrators or to help the sick?