This book follows the lives of a group of people for one year who work in an office in Cincinnati, Ohio from the years 1922-23, from the start of a young man's employment there until he leaves. All his fellow employees don't know much about each other outside of work, but the book goes into each of their private lives and relationships, and how people can put on a mask hiding pain, loneliness, desire, etc in front of others and privately may be in torment. Our young man, employed as an office boy there, learns bits of the others' lives and his impression of them. The little glimpses he gets into the lives of those he works with surprises him, saddens him and makes an impact to the point that years later he had to write about it. The story is a fictionalized version of the author's own experience as a young man. I found the book enjoyable, and a very good portrayal of how appearances can be deceiving, and how sometimes things aren't realized until they are viewed from hindsight and perspective of maturity. I received this book from friend Tigus/Seth. ( )