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A review by melanie_page
Draa by Stacey Levine
4.0
First published in 1997, Stacey Levine’s novella Dra– is a satirical look at entering the work place. The titular protagonist is such an unformed nobody that she doesn’t even get a complete name. Now that Dra– is of a certain age (what age?), she’s been called forth to enter the workforce (by whom?). Almost no character has a name and everything is a bit janky. Scenes play out like a performance in the Theatre of the Absurd. Even the jobs Dra– may choose from, both of which require “the spooning of unhealthy human hair from the floor into refuse containers filled with strong fluid” are nonsensical.
The entire novella takes place in a single weird, seemingly-endless building, but the experience is more like Alice in Wonderland than a job placement company. As Dra– travels around the employment building looking for the Administrator to whom she’s been assigned, she encounters “a passageway with a staircase that did not ascend or descend, but instead lay sideways on the floor,” clear walls obscured by steam, and airplanes flying inside several floors above.
Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.
The entire novella takes place in a single weird, seemingly-endless building, but the experience is more like Alice in Wonderland than a job placement company. As Dra– travels around the employment building looking for the Administrator to whom she’s been assigned, she encounters “a passageway with a staircase that did not ascend or descend, but instead lay sideways on the floor,” clear walls obscured by steam, and airplanes flying inside several floors above.
Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.