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A review by bethniamh
Hard Copy by Fien Veldman
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Many thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
There seems to have been a glut of books about women choosing to live in defiance of social norms in recent years, and this unfortunately isn't a particularly memorable entry in this subgenre. While it did remind me at times of Convenience Store Woman, it lacked a lot of its warmth and wit and the main character was not nearly as sympathetic. I would have preferred for the story to have leaned more into the surreal, which I expected given that one of the central themes is the relationship between a woman and her printer. Additionally, while effort seemed to have been made to remove all references to a specific place, it would have given the story a bit more of an anchor had there been more explicit references to the city and culture (I can only assume, based on vague descriptions and the author's nationality, that the story takes place in Amsterdam). It was, however, well-written and very readable, although how much of that is down to the translation is hard to say.
There seems to have been a glut of books about women choosing to live in defiance of social norms in recent years, and this unfortunately isn't a particularly memorable entry in this subgenre. While it did remind me at times of Convenience Store Woman, it lacked a lot of its warmth and wit and the main character was not nearly as sympathetic. I would have preferred for the story to have leaned more into the surreal, which I expected given that one of the central themes is the relationship between a woman and her printer. Additionally, while effort seemed to have been made to remove all references to a specific place, it would have given the story a bit more of an anchor had there been more explicit references to the city and culture (I can only assume, based on vague descriptions and the author's nationality, that the story takes place in Amsterdam). It was, however, well-written and very readable, although how much of that is down to the translation is hard to say.