The Opportunity - 9781908434791

Colin is an ambitious door-to-door salesman on the verge of ‘making it’ as the owner of his own sales office. And the future is looking good. First thing I’m going to buy when I get my own office is a Porsche Boxster… But when the terms of his promotion change without warning, Colin and his team find themselves with just five days to achieve a new sales target – and to prevent his rival, Paul, from being promoted in his stead. Colin has to keep his disgruntled team from ‘negging out’ while a gang of ruthless debt collectors are getting even closer. Of course, everything is going to be fine, more than fine, in fact. Meanwhile, he runs out of coins in the phone box and the boss isn’t taking his calls. As Colin’s grasp on reality dissolves, we see how the relentless focus on positive thinking – in the face of exploitative management, pay and conditions – leads to delusion, vulnerability, failure and, finally, human tragedy. Set amidst the rain-lashed estates of southern England, The Opportunity is a darkly disturbing, stylish and compelling character study, set to become a classic of graphic noir.