Vincenzo Latronico's Perfection is a contemporary novel following a consultant hired to improve a Milanese company's work culture, exploring how optimization and efficiency reshape human relationships. Through the narrator's observations of workplace dynamics and personal connections, Latronico examines contemporary capitalism's effects on intimacy and authenticity. The novel becomes both workplace satire and meditation on modern life, proving that Latronico understands how corporate culture colonizes everything and that some quests for perfection destroy what makes life worth living.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Latronico captures how contemporary work culture invades every aspect of life, making even relationships feel like projects to optimize. This sharp novel reminds us that consultants sell solutions that create new problems, that efficiency isn't the same as meaning, and that Italian literature is grappling with global capitalism.

DETAILS: • Author: Vincenzo Latronico • Publisher: New York Review of Books • Format: Paperback • Publication Date: March 18, 2025 • ISBN: 9781681378725 • Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days