A review by kai3cll
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

4.0

All the reviews saying this is a weird book are correct but I wanted to add that it was more of a feel-good read than a fever dream read. (perhaps because I already have the fever, will pick this book for second reading to see if it gets weird without the fever until then-)

The story is told in the form of Slack messages and follows a marketing/copywriting firm. There are three conflicts in the story with the main focus on Gered, who gets stuck inside Slack and tries to find his way back into his body.

Secondly, we have a dog food company fighting allegations of poisoning and a missing client. While the person attending this project keeps complaining about howling.

The last weird but not so weird thing is the conversation between two colleagues almost entirely made up of emojis. (two emojis to be specific.)

Overall, this thrilling ride that goes into some fantastical IT and existential conflicts, wasn't as weird for me as I expected. Perhaps, because I was expecting some mind-numbing experience like reading Bae Sua, Sayaka Murata, or a novel called Perfume.

However, that doesn't mean this is any less entertaining. The book hooks your attention and then safely lands you back on the ground after a ride.