Several People Are Typing

A Novel

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published Sept. 7, 2021 by Doubleday.

ISBN:
978-0-385-54722-2
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OCLC Number:
1224583609

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4 stars (22 reviews)

A work-from-home comedy where WFH meets WTF.

Told entirely through clever and captivating Slack messages, this irresistible, relatable satire of both virtual work and contemporary life is The Office for a new world.

Gerald, a mid-level employee of a New York–based public relations firm has been uploaded into the company’s internal Slack channels—at least his consciousness has. His colleagues assume it’s an elaborate gag to exploit the new work-from home policy, but now that Gerald’s productivity is through the roof, his bosses are only too happy to let him work from . . . wherever he says he is.

Faced with the looming abyss of a disembodied life online, Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to help him escape, and to find out what happened to his body. But the longer Gerald stays in the void, the more alluring and absurd his reality becomes.

Meanwhile, Gerald’s colleagues have PR catastrophes of …

6 editions

I can help by answering simple questions about how this novel works!

4 stars

I’m just a bot though!

Gerald doesn’t have legs anymore, he’s trapped inside Slack!

This story is told entirely in Slack Messages, if you need more help, try our help center for loads of useful information about this story!

I’ve searched for more information about the dead dogs and the howling outside, maybe these articles will help:

  • This novel made me literally LOL
  • It hits close to home
  • The bits stay fresh and do not get old!

Review of 'Several People Are Typing' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

About halfway through I was very impressed - sure it's gimmicky, but the characters were fun, the chat was extremely relatable, and the idea was being executed in an engaging way - but as it reached the end it felt like the limitations of the conceit started strangling the potential of the story.

Worth checking out for a fun light read.

Review of 'Several People Are Typing' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book was LOL funny at parts, and I liked that the entire thing was written as a series of Slack messages. Kasulke did a good job capturing the ridiculousness of workplace conversation (both on topic and off) and the nuances of inside jokes and emojis. That alone could be enough to make an enjoyable reading experience, but he goes beyond that as this book tackles some bigger/existential questions, such as, "what does it mean to have a body?" and "where's the line between our physical and virtual presences?"

Would definitely read more by this original author.

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