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Quick answer: If you liked Walter Kirn's Up in the Air, read Then We Came to the End, Thank You for Smoking, Company and Bright Lights, Big City. All satirize modern work and the lonely, restless people who chase success.
Up in the Air follows Ryan Bingham, a man who fires people for a living and treasures frequent-flier miles over relationships. The book mixes dark comedy and a lonely portrait of corporate life. The picks below share that sharp, funny look at jobs, status and emptiness. Most are adult novels, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Then We Came to the End | Joshua Ferris | Adult | the nearest office satire |
| Thank You for Smoking | Christopher Buckley | Adult | political and corporate humor |
| Company | Max Barry | Adult | workplace absurdity |
| Microserfs | Douglas Coupland | Adult | tech-culture comedy |
| Bright Lights, Big City | Jay McInerney | Adult | city burnout |
| American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | readers who want a darker edge |
| The Corrections | Jonathan Franzen | Adult | family satire |
| Liar's Poker | Michael Lewis | Adult | true finance stories |
| The Wolf of Wall Street | Jordan Belfort | Adult | excess and ego |
| Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | Adult | absurd classics |
| Bartleby, the Scrivener | Herman Melville | Adult | short classics |
| The Devil Wears Prada | Lauren Weisberger | Adult | fashion-world fun |
| Fight Club | Chuck Palahniuk | Adult | rebellion against office life |
| Personal Days | Ed Park | Adult | layoff comedies |
| Jennifer Government | Max Barry | Adult | corporate dystopia |
1. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
An advertising agency faces layoffs during the dot-com bust, narrated by a chorus of coworkers. Funny, sad and perfect for readers of Kirn's office satire.
Best for: the nearest office satire.
2. Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley
A lobbyist for the tobacco industry spins every argument. Buckley's quick, witty satire is a perfect match for Kirn's tone.
Best for: political and corporate humor.
3. Company by Max Barry
A new hire at a mysterious corporation tries to understand what the company actually does. Absurd and clever, with shades of Kafka.
Best for: workplace absurdity.
4. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
Young programmers at Microsoft look for meaning in 1990s cubicles. Told through diary entries, funny and warm.
Best for: tech-culture comedy.
5. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
A fact-checker numbs himself with parties in 1980s Manhattan. Told in second person, fast and stylish.
Best for: city burnout.
6. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
A Wall Street banker hides a violent side behind designer labels. Extreme and very dark, a harsh satire of consumer culture.
Best for: readers who want a darker edge.
7. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
An aging Midwestern couple and their three grown children collide at Christmas. A long, comic family novel about American life.
Best for: family satire.
8. Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis
Lewis's real account of his years as a bond salesman at Salomon Brothers. Funny and sharp, a classic of Wall Street memoir.
Best for: true finance stories.
9. The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
A memoir of stock fraud, drugs and excess. Wild and amoral, best read with a skeptical eye.
Best for: excess and ego.
10. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
A bomber pilot tries to escape a ridiculous military system. The grandfather of workplace absurdity.
Best for: absurd classics.
11. Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville
A clerk quietly refuses to work with the words “I would prefer not to.” Short, strange and surprisingly modern.
Best for: short classics.
12. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
A young assistant survives a ruthless magazine editor. Light and glossy, with a sharp workplace comedy at its core.
Best for: fashion-world fun.
13. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
An insomniac office worker forms an underground fighting club. Dark, fast and bitterly funny about consumerism.
Best for: rebellion against office life.
14. Personal Days by Ed Park
Office workers wait for layoffs in a dying company, with strange email humor. Short and clever.
Best for: layoff comedies.
15. Jennifer Government by Max Barry
In a world run by corporations, people take their employers' names. Fast satire with a sharp plot.
Best for: corporate dystopia.
How to Choose
If you want office comedy, start with Then We Came to the End or Personal Days. For satire with a political edge, try Thank You for Smoking. For a darker mood, go to American Psycho or Fight Club. For real-life stories, Liar's Poker is a fast read. Up in the Air is short, so pair it with a longer novel like The Corrections if you want a more substantial follow-up. Several of these books are short and sharp, so they pair well with a longer novel. Try one slim satire alongside The Corrections for contrast. Reading at the airport or on a commute suits Kirn's world well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Up in the Air about?
Ryan Bingham travels the US firing employees for companies, while avoiding attachment and chasing a million frequent-flier miles.
Is the book different from the movie?
Yes. The 2009 film with George Clooney softens the tone and changes the ending.
Who wrote Up in the Air?
Walter Kirn published the novel in 2001.
Is it a comedy?
It is a dark comedy about work and loneliness, with moments of real sadness.
What is the best workplace satire?
Then We Came to the End, Company and Microserfs are favorites with readers.
Is Up in the Air worth reading if I saw the movie?
Yes. The book is bleaker and funnier, and the ending is different from the film.