Dave Zeltserman’s Outsourced

Dan Wilson, the main character in Outsourced, is a very modern figure.  He’s a software engineer whose job has been shipped to India; he’s got several friends, somewhat reminiscent of the crew in Office Space, who share the same problem.  As for many these days, Wilson’s unemployment has gone on far too long; on occasion, he gets an odd contract for a few months of work, but this doesn’t pay all the bills his family creates.  He hatches a plot to rob a bank in a very modern way, with the help of his overly educated and unemployed crew.

The pacing of this novel is excellent–a fast reader will run through it in one sitting.  Unlike many recent books, this novel was edited effectively, with nothing that isn’t necessary to the plot between the pages; there is no fat.  Readers are given a sense of East Coast geography that we don’t often think of, especially when considering what else besides Boston is in Massachusetts.  The setting goes from small bank to mcmansion to New Hampshire country house, but it’s the characters who provide the real color.

Shiri is the single, younger friend (ironically Indian), while Joel is the older, gun-crazy country dweller.  Gordon went to Yale, and is closer to Dan’s age, but has too many screws loose to be in contact with any regularity.  They all team up with Dan and one other to attempt what might be the perfect bank robbery.

It’s a good read, and I highly recommend it–my public library has turned me on to an author I’ll continue to read.  Fortunately, Zeltserman (www.davezeltserman.com) seems to have quite a back catalogue…