A review by emmacatereads
Defekt, by Nino Cipri
5.0
Nino Cipri's follow up to FINNA is a delightful spiritual sequel that can still stand on its own while still calling back to some of the best things about its predecessor. You really don't need to have read FINNA to enjoy this novel, but it was fun to return to this world after reading Cipri's debut. Defekt tackles the horrors of late-stage capitalism, clone ethics, identity politics, and the power of human connection all in a neat 144 pages. Oh, and did I mention that it's uproariously funny, too?
Defekt follows Derek, a minor character from FINNA and a highly enthusiastic employee of the insidious LitenVärld home furnishing company (think an evil IKEA) that is normal store that just happens to have wormholes to parallel universes occasionally breaking through. Through these come a variety of sentient, otherworldly pieces of furniture. When Derek accidentally stumbles upon one of these creatures, he inadvertently finds himself reassigned to an inventory division made up of none other than a crack-team of alternate universe Dereks assigned to find and exterminate these anomalies.
Derek himself if a wonderful, if self-depreciating narrator, whose journey to create an identify for himself beyond the company line becomes (literally) a reflective experience, as he learns more about himself through the lives and voices of the people he could have been. Each of the Derek's has a unique identity and Cipri has taken care to give each of them their own personality while emphasizing the underlying threads that bind them as one. The tension between what is comforting and safe versus what is right is beautifully explored, as is the difficulty of accepting change as a positive experience. Overall this was a charming novella and a humorous take on the horrors of retail management.
Defekt follows Derek, a minor character from FINNA and a highly enthusiastic employee of the insidious LitenVärld home furnishing company (think an evil IKEA) that is normal store that just happens to have wormholes to parallel universes occasionally breaking through. Through these come a variety of sentient, otherworldly pieces of furniture. When Derek accidentally stumbles upon one of these creatures, he inadvertently finds himself reassigned to an inventory division made up of none other than a crack-team of alternate universe Dereks assigned to find and exterminate these anomalies.
Derek himself if a wonderful, if self-depreciating narrator, whose journey to create an identify for himself beyond the company line becomes (literally) a reflective experience, as he learns more about himself through the lives and voices of the people he could have been. Each of the Derek's has a unique identity and Cipri has taken care to give each of them their own personality while emphasizing the underlying threads that bind them as one. The tension between what is comforting and safe versus what is right is beautifully explored, as is the difficulty of accepting change as a positive experience. Overall this was a charming novella and a humorous take on the horrors of retail management.