The Scheme for Full Employment: A Novel

Flagrant and subtle absurdities alike are bountiful in The Scheme, which itself is cleverly crafted as to make it seem simple, almost natural. An everyday observer would delight in the minute intricacies, which is included by Mills as it's an accurate portrayal of the world we live in- full of contradictive and illogical systems to live by. Hence, The Scheme could be seen as a `system' satire or a `lifestyle' lampoon. I've always held to word `scheme' in negative connotation as a derogatory synonym for `plan.' Clearly, the Scheme which Mills has set up cannot be perpetual, much like Russia behind the Iron Curtain. Here's the breakdown: UniVans deliver UniVan parts to UniVan depots around the city which are staffed by UniVan employees who work steady 8-hour days. The hitch is in the fact that some workers struggle to fill these 8-hour days and consider it perfectly alright to skip out an hour early if they have the spare time. At the same time, there are other employees who abide by the 8-hour working day for 8-hours of pay. This schism is the gist of the peak of plot tension when the protagonist rides the razor's edge between these two camps.

Magnus Mills' style isn't for everyone, the same way dark chocolate isn't for everyone. I think he's one of the best current British novelists. His dead-pan/ anti-hero style is fabulous. "The Scheme for Full Employment" is a great program that guarantees full employment. Eight hours work for eight hours' pay. Those who are part of the program can expect grand times for a job well done.

Mills has created a masterpiece in The Scheme For Full Employment. 'The Scheme' unfolds quickly in this short story and an amusing twist lies beneath the day to day drudgery of the characters' work. When you start to find out more you find yourself wondering how many similar 'Schemes' might exist in our society today... I read it in an afternoon and became totally engrossed from the first page on. The author's attention to detail is fantastic although find yourself reaching the end and realizing that you know more or less nothing about the characters other than their names and their role in The Scheme... all part of the genius This is a fantastic, bite-size read and the sort of book that you can pluck out and talk to people about to guarantee a laugh. It even looks good on the shelf! Well worth buying along with anything else by Mills

So many reviews here are complaining that Mills wasn't up to snuff in relation to his other books. Well, this is the first book of his I've read, and man!, now I want to read the rest. This is an excellent light comedic satire on work, welfare, social schemes, and the tendency of humans to "give an inch, take a mile." Sure, it's light and frothy but there's also a lot going on behind the scenes here, that is worthy of a bit more reader introspection. Highly recommended.If this is Mills' slightest work, then his other novels must be truly over the top.