az- Then We Came to the End: A Novel: Joshua Ferris

last page - Page 385: Most of us followed them out soon after, and, in the end, last call was announced. The lights came up, the jukebox went quiet. We could hear the clink of glasses and the exhausted silence of the waitstaff as they began to clean up, wiping down the shiny surfaces, placing the padded barstools on top of the bar. Their work would soon be done, they could see something waiting for them at home -- a bed, a meal, a lover. But we didn't want the night to end. We kept hanging on, waiting for them to send over the big guy who'd force us out with a final command. And we would leave, eventually. Out to the parking lot, a few parting words. "Sure was good to see you again," we'd say. And with that, we'd get in our cars and open the windows and drive off, tapping the horn a final time. But for the moment, it was nice just to sit there together. We were the only two left. Just the two of us, you and me.

ok of course I like this end. but otherw just ok, skimmable.

to z0803 books ... 2 days ago:
just noticed this bk fr 57th for cust, now here it is winner of today's TMN Book Tournie, wh I just tht to check & found alrdy underway (before basketball?)
2008 Tournament of Books themorningnews.org/tob/Round2Match2: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, vs You Don’t Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem, judged by MAUD NEWTON & from the booth: “This ‘we’ thing”: sonofagun if it doesn’t work, and really well. frequently funny (irony being very much in the service of sincerity here). Then We Came to the End is looking unstoppable this year.
Round1Match3 - earlier round for Then We Came to the End, vs Petropolis, judged by ANTHONY DOERR: gimmicky but still somehow effective *collective* first-person narrator. made me laugh out loud 20 times, & scene twd end, wh BennyShassburger answrs every one of his co-workers’ qstns w quotes TheGodfather, made me fall off th couch.
& from the booth: It strikes me that Then We Came to the End is one of those books th embodies a model for the book industry.fresh voice, great cover, engaging likable author, strong PR push, award nominatns..add up to serious upwardly mobile mojo for Joshua Ferris, already had film rights snapped up.

to z0803 books... 5 days ago:
WE WERE FRACTIOUS AND overpaid. Our mornings lacked promise. Our benefits were astonishing in comprehensiveness. Sometimes we qstnd whethr worth it. We thought moving to India might be better, or going back to nursing school.