When Gerald tells his bosses at the public relations firm he works for that his consciousness has been uploaded into Slack, they all assume he’s doing a bit to keep working from home for a while. But it’s not a bit. It’s Gerald’s new reality, and when he talks to the Slackbot to try to get some help, it just makes unhelpful suggestions for searches in the Help Center.
Meanwhile, back in the office, Tripp is the only one in the office on the snow day when the new employee starts, so it falls on him to take care of Beverley’s onboarding. And one of their most important clients is having a PR nightmare—someone has broken into the Bjark Dog Food factory and poisoned the dog food. Several Pomeranians have already died, and it falls to Rob to come up with dozens, maybe even hundreds of tweets, to reassure customers that their products are safe.
Bosses Doug and Kerolyn try to keep everyone on their tasks, despite Tripp auctioning off the rights to Gerald’s desk (it’s right by the windows), Lydia’s complaints about the howling that seems to follow her everywhere, and the #gents-only conversations about how long you have to date someone to make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day.
Meanwhile, Gerald, stuck in Slack, talks to the Slackbot about the painful beauty of sunsets, and Pradeep drops by Gerald’s apartment to check on him. When Pradeep finds Gerald in a sort of coma at his computer, he finally believes that the whole “disappeared into Slack” thing isn’t a bit. He gives Gerald some food and water and cleans him up a little, not knowing what else to do with him.
As time goes on, Pradeep continues to care for Gerald’s body. Rob dives deep into the dog food copy, trying to save the Pomeranians (and the client), Doug tries to figure out how his standing desk got damaged, and Tripp and Beverley contemplate how an office is like a cult, with its Important Mission, secret language, and rituals.
And Gerald grows a beard and argues with Slackbot about what it means to be human, all while his productivity at work has been top level. But the more time he spends stuck in Slack, the more worried he is about making it back to his body. Will Gerald figure out how to get back to his life, just as he’s coming to understand how important it is to stay human in this tech-obsessed world?
Several People Are Typing is a wild ride of a novel. Author Calvin Kasulke has taken the idea of remote working to the absurd with this wildly funny, surprisingly touching novel about how our devices take us over from time to time. Told entirely in Slack channel conversations, these chats tell the stories of our lives, from the insecurities to the anxieties, from the friendships to the romances, from the humor to the heart.
I was a little skeptical about the premise for this book. I don’t have a problem with the absurd, but there was something about this that left me wondering what I was getting into with the book. However, I got sucked in too, and I loved every moment of it. I so enjoyed spending time with these characters, as soon as I finished the book, I wanted to start reading it again. It’s a quick read because of the Slack format, but it’s best to take your time with this and really enjoy every minute.
Egalleys for Several People Are Typing were provided by Doubleday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.
