Copyright © 2005 by Mike Albo

Parts of The Underminer have appeared in the

New York Observer and on Tins American Life.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information
address Bloomsbury Publishing, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, New York and London

Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers

All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are natural,
recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed
forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the
environmental regulations of the country of origin.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Albo, Mike.

The underminer : the best friend who casually destroys your life / Mike Albo
with Virginia Heffernan ; illustrations by Carl James Ferrero and Mike Albo.—

1st U.S. ed.

p. cm.

1. Friendship—Fiction. 2. Passive-aggressive personality—Fiction. I. Heffernan,
Virginia. II. Title.

PS3551.L268U53 2005

813'.6—dc22

2004062700

First published in the United States by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2005 This paperback edition published 2006

eISBN 978-1-59691-707-1

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Typeset by Hewer Text Ltd, Edinburgh

Printed in the United States of America by Quebecor World Fairfield