I'm Working on a Building

Pip Adam’s I'm Working on a Building is a bold and unorthodox novel that challenges conventional narrative structure, rewarding readers who are willing to engage with its cerebral, reverse-chronological form. Centred on Catherine, an emotionally detached yet brilliantly perceptive engineer, the novel spans continents and decades in an unfurling of both character and chronology.

Adam uses the language of structural engineering with remarkable poeticism, transforming technical vocabulary into layered metaphors that explore fragility—of buildings, of memory, and of self. The narrative’s backwards movement proves more than a stylistic quirk; it offers clarity through deconstruction, inviting readers to reconstruct meaning as Catherine’s life is slowly unpacked.

While some readers may find the prose deliberately distancing and the storytelling circular, Adam's command of language and her deep empathy for the fractured and flawed human experience shine through. The novel is especially successful in capturing post-disaster dislocation, with haunting echoes of Christchurch reverberating through its speculative future. It’s just so clever!

Though not always easy to read, I'm Working on a Building is a daring work—complex, disorienting, and deeply thought-provoking. It is a masterclass in narrative structure, proving once again that Pip Adam is among Aotearoa’s most original literary voices.