The Very Nice Box

An offbeat, wryly funny debut that follows eccentric product engineer Ava as she becomes drawn to her startlingly charismatic new boss — who seems determined to get close to her at all costs…

Ava Simon designs storage boxes for STÄDA, a slick Brooklyn-based furniture company. She's hard-working, obsessive and heartbroken from a tragedy that killed her girlfriend and upended her life. It's been years since she's let anyone in.

But when Ava's new boss — the young and magnetic Mat Putnam — offers Ava a ride home one afternoon, an unlikely relationship blossoms. Ava remembers how rewarding it canbe to open up — and, despite her hesitancy, she starts to fall for him. But what if Mat isn't who he claims to be?

The Very Nice Box is a darkly comic and suspenseful novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its gripping finale. It's at once a satire of toxic masculinity and a big-hearted account of grief, friendship and trust.

'Blackett and Gleichman are linguistic magicians, and their sparkling debut manages to expose the hollowness of well-being jargon while exploring, with tender care and precision, how we dare to move on after unspeakable loss' — NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

'A very funny debut — and perhaps the most original office satire of the year… There's no way to put The Very Nice Box into, well, a box. It's a parody that feels like an extended inside joke; it's a thriller, a romance and a quirky coming-of-age saga' — WASHINGTON POST

'A rare novel that both sparkles with humor and pulses with deep emotion' — MOLLY DEKTAR, author of The Ash Family

'Rather than boxing in queerness, the authors suggest queerness as a lens for seeing, reading, and, arguably, for their own storytelling, which refuses trite or stereotypical generic moments. The story charms, it entices, and it keeps the reader in their hands, wanting more' — LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS

'A fascinating look at the ways people choose to compartmentalize grief. The writing is sharp and dynamic, the plot wonderfully compelling. It's a very fun read, but it's also a timely one: how does toxic masculinity in corporate culture restructure and rebrand itself in order to appear innocuous? The Very Nice Box is a very nice book, and Blackett and Gleichman have created something stellar here' — KRISTEN ARNETT, author of With Teeth

'This debut novel takes on hipster corporate culture with biting wit while also balancing breezy romance and pulse-pounding suspense' — APPLE BOOKS