Scan barcode
A review by tigger89
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
While this isn't high literature by any means, I found it to be an enjoyable, fast-paced satire of both the workplace and the human condition. I will say upfront that, if you're looking for a logical resolution, you won't find one here. Nothing is really explained with regard to the main hook, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth coming along on the trip. And a trip it is, with some of the logs being downright bizarre. My takeaway? Corporate capitalism is driving us insane, and we all need a vacation before we devolve to communicating solely via mangled emojis.
The main obstacle most readers would have engaging with this story is the way its told, in chat log form. You don't have to know Slack to understand the format. I've never used Slack myself, but if you understand Discord(#channels and DMs/private chats) then you'll be able to understand this. The book's strongest point was how well it executed this technique, with each character managing to be distinct despite only existing in the context of chat logs. I was particularly appreciative of the way the author gendered all of the characters near the start, by having a character request access to the #gents-only channel. It's hard to subtly slip pronouns into a pure dialogue situation, and I thought that was a clever solution!
I don't want to nitpick the plot too much because this wasn't really that kind of book. It's designed to play a little fast and loose with the logic. But there was one thing, a moral rather than a logical issue, that bothered me.
Toward the end of the book, a character knowingly has sex with a person whose body is currently inhabited by another consciousness, without seeking consent from the original owner of the body. This isn't depicted as a violation and all parties wind up being cool with it, but I can't tell if it was a case of the characters being down with whatever or if the consent issue wasn't considered a problem by the author. Because of the unique format of the story I could see it going either way, because there's no good way to address it in-narrative if the characters aren't going to say it out loud to each other, right? So that was a thing that happened. If it'll bother you, brace for it, and I guess come to your own conclusion about what the author might have intended there.
The main obstacle most readers would have engaging with this story is the way its told, in chat log form. You don't have to know Slack to understand the format. I've never used Slack myself, but if you understand Discord(#channels and DMs/private chats) then you'll be able to understand this. The book's strongest point was how well it executed this technique, with each character managing to be distinct despite only existing in the context of chat logs. I was particularly appreciative of the way the author gendered all of the characters near the start, by having a character request access to the #gents-only channel. It's hard to subtly slip pronouns into a pure dialogue situation, and I thought that was a clever solution!
I don't want to nitpick the plot too much because this wasn't really that kind of book. It's designed to play a little fast and loose with the logic. But there was one thing, a moral rather than a logical issue, that bothered me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault