Notes from the Shelf

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Discontent by Beatriz Serrano – Ambition & Disillusion
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 192
Rating:  ★★★★★
Buy: Bookshop.org

This post contains spoilers.

Book Blurb

From a dazzling new international literary voice, a novel about a malcontented young woman whose carefully crafted office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat

On the surface, Marisa’s life looks enviable. She lives in a beautiful apartment in the center of Madrid, she has a hot neighbor who is always around to sleep with her, and she’s rapidly risen through the ranks at an advertising agency. And yet she’s drowning in a dark hole of existential dread induced by the expectations of corporate life. Marisa hates her job and everyone at it. She spends her working hours locked in her office hiding from her coworkers, bingeing YouTube videos, and taking Valium. When she has the time, she escapes to her favorite museum where she contemplates the meaning of human life while staring at Hieronymus Bosch paintings, or trying to get hit by a car so she can go on disability.

But Marisa’s success, which is largely built on lies and work she’s stolen from other people, is in danger of being unraveled when she’s forced to go on her company’s annual team-building retreat. Isolated in the Spanish mountains, surrounded by a psychopathic boss, overly enthusiastic co-workers who revel in their exploitation, a flirty retreat staff, and haunted by a deeply-buried memory about a past coworker, Marisa is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.

A darkly funny, provocative, and incisive tale of our modern times, Discontent explores the unease we bury eight hours a day, and how explosive it is when it rises to the surface.

My Thoughts

I picked this book for my September BOTM on a whim. The synopsis sounded relatable (corporate chaos wrapped in millennial angst) and it delivered exactly that. Plus, being a shorter read, it didn’t drag me too far into an existential spiral while reminding me of just how soul-sucking office life can be.

Discontent follows a young woman navigating the glossy world of media and marketing, where ambition and self-worth get tangled in a dangerous game of comparison and validation. Serrano captures the absurdity, pressure, and quiet despair of corporate culture with dark humor and painfully accurate observations. If you’ve ever questioned whether your career is shaping you or swallowing you whole, this book may hit a little too close to home.

The writing is sharp and witty, with a narrative voice that balances cynicism and vulnerability. Through the protagonist’s unraveling, Serrano digs into the invisible emotional debt many women carry, striving to appear successful while feeling like they’re constantly falling short. It’s a story about burnout, image, and the ways we measure ourselves against impossible standards.

The pacing moves quickly, making it easy to devour in a sitting or two, and the social commentary is on point without feeling preachy. Serrano gives readers a mirror; one we might want to avoid but can’t look away from.

Final Thoughts

This may be a short novel, but it packs a full corporate meltdown into its pages. Discontent is sharp, timely, and uncomfortably real. It reminds us how easily careers can become identities, and how quickly those identities can crack. Fast-paced and relatable, it’s a great pick for readers who enjoy dark workplace satire with an emotional punch.

If you want to check out ‘Discontent’ by Beatriz Serrano, consider purchasing it through Bookshop.org. Supporting this link helps sustain independent bookstores and keeps this blog thriving.

Read Other Literary Fiction Reviews:
The Sun was Electric Light by Rachel Morton
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

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