Joe Abercrombie describes his work as “unheroic fantasy”, a beautifully turned phrase which it’s hard to better if you need to quickly sum up Best Served Cold. Put simply, there are no gallant, selfless or likeable characters in Abercombie’s first standalone novel – yet somehow, you find yourself rooting for many of them.
Riam Dean has a prosthetic arm that attaches at the elbow, and she typically wears a sweater to cover the prosthetic. While A&F employees are required to wear jeans and a polo shirt, she was given permission to wear a white cardigan while working on the floor.
This group’s purpose is to sure the shop and its staff look up to code. One of the members of the team demanded she take off the cardigan, but she insisted she had permission to wear it. Nevertheless, she was asked by management to continue her employment in the stockroom, far out of the public eye. Management claimed that she “violated the ‘Look Policy,” which is an imperative part of working for such a abercrombie and fitch outlet. As if she could help the fact that she is, unfortunately, missing an arm. Totally her fault, I suppose. The nerve. Pssh.
