Red Plenty

by Francis Spufford

‘“A programmer”’, they chorused together, ‘“must combine the accuracy of a bank clerk with the acumen of an Indian tracker, and add in the imagination of a crime writer and the practicality of a businessman.”’

Aren’t you the one who thinks, angry crowd, how can I make things worse, how can I fuck up a well-fucked situation so it’s even more fucked: oh, I know, why don’t I add insult to injury. Why don’t I say some fucking stupid thing that will really rub in the salt. That’s you, Marie, isn’t it? Isn’t that you?’