A review by ryannrripley
The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

5.0

Loved this book. Was recommended to me by a friend. It’s short, but it took me a long time to read because every statement the employees enter into the record is earth-shattering and profound, and I found myself having to sit with each section for a long time, thinking about what exactly it meant. In particular, Statement 31 choked me up. The biomech robots called humanoids are made to work, and work is their identity. I related to this, and I’m a human. I’m a real person in this world of AI. So what does that mean?

Overall, this story reminded me of the Alien universe, with the shadowy and mysterious company called Weyland-Yutani moving behind the curtains and seeking some creature for the purpose of profit. Says a lot about capitalism. And I enjoyed the way the narrative was structured, with all proper names stripped (except for one single name at the very end, as a character is preparing to die). Work under capitalism strips us of our identity. 

And don’t even get me started on the creation and reproduction stuff. I’m usually averse to stories with these themes, but this time it worked for me. The company is trying to find something to improve production. Instead, it finds the source of our sense of human self. The company cannot control it, but it will try, over and over again.

Literally perfect.