Satirical corporate gothic novel Stinkbug by Sinéad Stubbins is a foray into the lunacy of corporate culture. 

Edith had been a copywriter at Winked for seven years. It wasn’t a place where people’s job titles were things like ‘Studio Ninja’, but they did say things like that in the office, and only sometimes in an ironic way

The story revolves around Edith, a reliable and responsible copywriter at Winked. She goes on a three day corporate retreat with other selected colleagues to a place called Consequi, a remote mountain getaway. Winked is anticipating a restructure and Edith sees the retreat an an opportunity to demonstrate her ongoing value to the company.

It was hard not to think of the upcoming retreat as somehow being connected to a new sacrifice. There had been rumours about a restructure for months. Usually when Winked’s CEO came to the office, which wasn’t often, he would strut between desks booming, ‘How are we!’ to terrified juniors he didn’t know the names of, clapping them on the back. Now the CEO just rushed into meeting rooms with senior staff and mystery third parties—crucially, the rooms without glass walls. After the meetings, he would appear in the corridors massaging his head and then would be gone again.

Soon after arrival, participants phones are confiscated and they are subjected to an increasingly bizarre series of activities until workplace dynamics and collegiate camaraderie begin to disintegrate. Soon Edith becomes the pariah and must choose to embrace her otherness or conform. She chooses resistance. 

You’re a stinkbug and they’re worried if they come near you, your stench will get all over them and they won’t be able to wash it off.

Stinkbug is for anyone who appreciates the perversity of the office world and its tendency toward power games, toxicity and psychological warfare against those who don’t conform to the dominant cultural sereotype.