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

4.5

this was a gorgeous book. before i read this, i had heard that it was hard to follow, but ravn and aitken’s sentence work is so impeccable that it was easy to fall into the pace and routine of these workers’ lives. the balance between abstraction and weirdness works so well. the characters often state plainly what they are thinking and feeling (i.e. statement 010: “i don’t know if i’m human anymore. am i human? does it say in your files what i am?” pg 14) which gives room for the stranger topics of the objects (and interaction with them) and the humanoids to be pulled to the limits without losing it’s grounding.

even though the action was peripheral, the consequences were tangible. and the ending really struck me.

with the grass gripped in a fist. how there is comfort in the uncertainty of the future.

ravn was also obviously very enamored by an art gallery before writing this book which is so charming and deeply relatable. if only she would think about the shareholders!