Rachman's raw and insightful portrayal of a fictional English-language newspaper based in Rome - and it's staff - is not only an intriguing plot but it masters human thought from so many angles. Instantly the reader is getting a behind-the-scenes-look at the harsh world that is the press.
What at first reads like a collection of short stories develops into a fascinatingly bitter sweet history of a single newspaper and all the lives altered en route to it's end. Each chapter pulls you in with a authentic character's perspective, a glance at their lives, then quickly pulls you away just when you were getting comfortable in their very convincing life - at times I found this book to be unsettling, but if anything this aspect irritated me for all the right reasons. Although the glimpse at each reporter's life is short, the depiction displayed is poignant, emotive, and believable.
On a side note: If you do intend to read this book keep in mind “Cold War Over, Hot War Begins” was my favorite chapter. The whole book was lovely but I was most interested by this particular character's life.
Overall “The Imperfectionists” is a nicely meshed story of authentic characters taking you through the founding year of the paper to it's demise. Rachman's writing is original and dare I say addicting in the most mundane way. I'm sure we will be seeing more of his work in the future, at least I hope!