Several People Are Typing
- Downloads：1122
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-01 18:20:57
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Calvin Kasulke
- ISBN：B08PY1XTB8
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Bre R
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I don’t even know where to start on this book。 There were one or two parts that I felt didn’t translate well， but overall…wow。 I wasn’t sure how the author was going to make it work but this story had everything。 There was character development， imagery， and I couldn’t get over how well the plot moved。 A short read， but a wonderful one。
Rodrigo Paramo
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hahahaha holy fuck - while reading this at one point i told myself that i wasn't gonna be able to give it a star rating - a few pages later， it became clear to me maybe this is a perfect novel？ so much fiction is so rote， but this was invigorating and exciting and i never knew what was coming next and some chapters didnt make any sense but god only one book has ever even approached what my brain feels like when its on the internet （the Lockwood one obviously） but that one was particular to twitt hahahaha holy fuck - while reading this at one point i told myself that i wasn't gonna be able to give it a star rating - a few pages later， it became clear to me maybe this is a perfect novel？ so much fiction is so rote， but this was invigorating and exciting and i never knew what was coming next and some chapters didnt make any sense but god only one book has ever even approached what my brain feels like when its on the internet （the Lockwood one obviously） but that one was particular to twitter and this one。。。。 gets at something more profound than that， about the way we signify， communicate， and understand the self - idk i fucking loved this！！！ 。。。more
sophia ☾
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how was this weird little book so perfectly written for me oh my GOD
Jill
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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 h 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。 。。。more
Sean Young
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Absolutely， without a doubt， one of my favourite books I’ve read in a while。 So quick， so snappy， I read it all in one sitting and found it impossible to put down。 I laughed， genuinely out loud， several times。 Like， actually laughed。Several People Are Typing is like Douglas Coupland run through all the best elements of Black Mirror （both the bleakest and most heartening ends） - a spot-on satire that gave me chills and then warmed me back up。
Carrie
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I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this up， but I found myself completely charmed by this weird little book。 It’s funny and absurd， but still managed to have heart and pack a punch。 It’s compulsively readable， and because it’s written entirely as slack text and relatively short you can fly through it。 I read the whole thing today in two sittings。
J。D。 Lowe
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This was such a fantastic concept！ It wasn't too long， it wasn't too short， and it was just。。。oof， so good！ This is such a weird thing to say， but everyone typed like people I know in Slack， which in and of itself is amazing。 Funny， spooky （beware the howling！）， and just excellent。 This was such a fantastic concept！ It wasn't too long， it wasn't too short， and it was just。。。oof， so good！ This is such a weird thing to say， but everyone typed like people I know in Slack， which in and of itself is amazing。 Funny， spooky （beware the howling！）， and just excellent。 。。。more
Kerrie
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4。5 stars - this was ridiculous in the best possible way。 This definitely is not for everyone， but if you are a fan of the epistolary style， I’d definitely recommend as it’s a super quick read。
Lauren Huff
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A strange and delightful little piece of workplace horror。 Also 100% perfectly captures the interaction of asking someone a direct question and having them completely disregard it and move on。 I've been looking forward to this one for a while， and it absolutely exceeded expectations。 A strange and delightful little piece of workplace horror。 Also 100% perfectly captures the interaction of asking someone a direct question and having them completely disregard it and move on。 I've been looking forward to this one for a while， and it absolutely exceeded expectations。 。。。more
Susan
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This book is perfect for anyone who feels like they've spent their work life inside zoom， Teams， or Slack--or for anyone who needs a laugh。 Told entirely through messages sent via Slack， this humorous book tells the story of Gerald， an employee of a social media company， who is actually subsumed by the Slack helpbot， while his body is taken over by the bot。Meanwhile， two of his colleagues embark on a hot & heavy affair while everyone is dealing with a campaign to salvage the reputation of a dog This book is perfect for anyone who feels like they've spent their work life inside zoom， Teams， or Slack--or for anyone who needs a laugh。 Told entirely through messages sent via Slack， this humorous book tells the story of Gerald， an employee of a social media company， who is actually subsumed by the Slack helpbot， while his body is taken over by the bot。Meanwhile， two of his colleagues embark on a hot & heavy affair while everyone is dealing with a campaign to salvage the reputation of a dog food company accused of poisoning dogs。 Fast-paced and hilarious， this book is relatable on so many levels。 #SeveralPeopleAreTyping #NetGalley 。。。more
TC
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Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more
amanda eve
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I’m not sure how to rate this book。 It’s so different from anything I’ve read before; I tried to explain it to someone and sounded absolutely insane。 In the end it was very funny， unique， and had moments of sweetness among the sheer wtf-ery。
Mary G。
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Happy day before pub day to Several People are Typing！ Thank you to Doubleday for my gifted ARC！In one sentence: One company’s Slack messages cover an ad campaign for a dog food company， an office affair， and worst of all， an employee getting stuck inside Slack。I spend a lot of time on Slack， so I knew I had to read this book。 I loved the satirical look at modern work culture - the social commentary was spot on。 I also enjoyed the “stuck in Slack” storyline - I had no idea how it would turn out。 Happy day before pub day to Several People are Typing！ Thank you to Doubleday for my gifted ARC！In one sentence: One company’s Slack messages cover an ad campaign for a dog food company， an office affair， and worst of all， an employee getting stuck inside Slack。I spend a lot of time on Slack， so I knew I had to read this book。 I loved the satirical look at modern work culture - the social commentary was spot on。 I also enjoyed the “stuck in Slack” storyline - I had no idea how it would turn out。The only issue I had with the book is the sheer number of conversations and storylines - it was hard to keep everything straight in my head since the book is told entirely in Slack messages without other narration。 This is also a problem with Slack in real life。 🤣If you love Slack or love to hate it， you might enjoy this book！ I think it would be a fun gift for an office gift exchange。 。。。more
Raphaela
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Funny and clever with some touching moments。 A good read。
Laura Sackton
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Wow， I absolutely loved this。 I was not expecting to be so charmed by it but I read it in two sittings and didn't really want to look away。 It's so weird。 Just， delightfully weird in a eerie and hilarious and also surprisingly earnest way。 A few threads don't get wrapped up perfectly but did I care？ Not really， because the whole experience was just so oddly pleasant and enjoyable。 I never would have excepted a novel that takes place entirely over Slack to work so well， but Kasulke pulls it off。H Wow， I absolutely loved this。 I was not expecting to be so charmed by it but I read it in two sittings and didn't really want to look away。 It's so weird。 Just， delightfully weird in a eerie and hilarious and also surprisingly earnest way。 A few threads don't get wrapped up perfectly but did I care？ Not really， because the whole experience was just so oddly pleasant and enjoyable。 I never would have excepted a novel that takes place entirely over Slack to work so well， but Kasulke pulls it off。Historically surprising reads aren't what does it for me in fiction。 I'm perfectly happy to know where the plot is going and for it to go there。 But this novel went off in all sorts of unexpected directions and I really dug it。 I think Weird Queer is my new favorite genre。I have no idea how this would read to someone who doesn't know Slack， but I found it to be the perfect mix of WTF， charming， hilarious， observant， and， most surprisingly， sweetly optimistic。 It's snarky and absurd， but also gentle。Will I ever look at Slackbot the same way again？ I will not。 。。。more
Tai Marie （TMarieReads）
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This is a quirky， humorous story written in chat form as if employees of a fictional company are chatting in Slack。 As someone who works in HR it made me realize how happy I am my company doesn’t use Slack and that I have never had to read through employee chats， but as a reader it was a fast and entertaining read when you’re looking for something lighthearted and different。
Eytan Kessler
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I love weird books， and Several People Are Typing is definitely a weird book。 A quick contemporary read with a dash of Sci/Fi， Calvin Kasulke has written a book that’s funny， slightly disturbing， can give you an existential crisis or two， and incredibly timely given what work life has been like for many people the past year and a half during this pandemic。 With only “digital” dialogue and no personal descriptions， except for a very good looking beard， Kasulke is able to tell a compelling office I love weird books， and Several People Are Typing is definitely a weird book。 A quick contemporary read with a dash of Sci/Fi， Calvin Kasulke has written a book that’s funny， slightly disturbing， can give you an existential crisis or two， and incredibly timely given what work life has been like for many people the past year and a half during this pandemic。 With only “digital” dialogue and no personal descriptions， except for a very good looking beard， Kasulke is able to tell a compelling office story filled with drama both normal and very weird。 While I did not know what Slack was before I read this book， or what the dusty stick emoji means， this was still a fun read， that was perfect for the pandemic。 。。。more
Caitlin
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As I’m currently still in a severe book hangover， this was a perfect book to act as antidote - I wanted something completely different， and this was that by a long shot！ I picked it at random and it was so delightfully weird by page one that I immediately couldn’t stop reading， though that compulsive readability is definitely also due to the slack message format it’s entirely written in。 In addition to delightfully weird， it is also smart， laugh out loud funny， weirdly sweet at times， and fully As I’m currently still in a severe book hangover， this was a perfect book to act as antidote - I wanted something completely different， and this was that by a long shot！ I picked it at random and it was so delightfully weird by page one that I immediately couldn’t stop reading， though that compulsive readability is definitely also due to the slack message format it’s entirely written in。 In addition to delightfully weird， it is also smart， laugh out loud funny， weirdly sweet at times， and fully original。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Emily Waller
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Several People Are Typing is a quick， witty book entirely in Slack chat format about an NYC-based public relations firm。 One employee， Gerald， accidentally has his consciousness uploaded into Slack， but everyone thinks he’s working from home and making a joke。 Other employees are dealing with things like not getting blamed for their boss’s broken desk （although it was definitely their fault） and some dog food-gone-wrong for customer Bjärk Dog Food， which has been recently been killing Pomeranian Several People Are Typing is a quick， witty book entirely in Slack chat format about an NYC-based public relations firm。 One employee， Gerald， accidentally has his consciousness uploaded into Slack， but everyone thinks he’s working from home and making a joke。 Other employees are dealing with things like not getting blamed for their boss’s broken desk （although it was definitely their fault） and some dog food-gone-wrong for customer Bjärk Dog Food， which has been recently been killing Pomeranians。 This was a very unique book both in in content and style and it was enjoyable！Thanks to Doubleday Books for the copy of this ARC！ 。。。more
Kate
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A very strange read but enjoyable at the same time。 I liked the format of the book and that the office dynamics were well written。 Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Sharon L
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:dusty-stick:How long would you have to be out of the office before someone rents out your deskspace to coworkers （it faces south and it is winter）？ Not very long it seems。 A wild， funny， and very quick book giving us a snapshot of current worklife， office culture and an Evil Clippy。 Book is written in Slack messages， but you don't need to be familiar with Slack or Teams to understand。 I received an ARC of this and really wanted the published ebook to include the emojis and gifs。 One of the most :dusty-stick:How long would you have to be out of the office before someone rents out your deskspace to coworkers （it faces south and it is winter）？ Not very long it seems。 A wild， funny， and very quick book giving us a snapshot of current worklife， office culture and an Evil Clippy。 Book is written in Slack messages， but you don't need to be familiar with Slack or Teams to understand。 I received an ARC of this and really wanted the published ebook to include the emojis and gifs。 One of the most interesting things about this book is that it spurred many thoughts about how writing a book specifically for ebook publication could include more than the printed word and expand the expectations for books。 Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lauren Archer
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This quirky book was so much fun to read。 Told entirely in Slack messages， the author really nailed working in a corporate environment， and I speak from experience。Gerald is a mid-level employee working at A NYC PR firm。 They have a very lax work from home policy。 However， one day Gerald swaps consciousness with Slackbot。 He is comatose， but highly productive in the Slack platform， so everyone thinks this is a joke， and does not think anything of it。We meet all the other co-workers with all thei This quirky book was so much fun to read。 Told entirely in Slack messages， the author really nailed working in a corporate environment， and I speak from experience。Gerald is a mid-level employee working at A NYC PR firm。 They have a very lax work from home policy。 However， one day Gerald swaps consciousness with Slackbot。 He is comatose， but highly productive in the Slack platform， so everyone thinks this is a joke， and does not think anything of it。We meet all the other co-workers with all their private conversations， and group conversations。 Lot’s of inside jokes， which you would expect any work group would have。 They are all working on a campaign for a dog food company that has issues with poisoning dogs。There are fights over workspaces， sexual acts that cause broken furniture。 They also want to know why Gerald always gets to work from home。 Eventually Pradeep saves the day in more ways than one。This book can rival Office Space。 I loved it so much。 Yes， it is totally over the top， but the author just captured it so well what is like to work today when collaboration tools that are forced upon all of us。Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elizabeth ✨
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“if we can’t seek the physical sublimewhat are we supposed to look atwhere’s that constant amazementthat we can check in on every so often whenever we can stand it”SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING is a surreal， absurd， and delightful story about Gerald， whose consciousness gets uploaded into his workplace’s Slack and the minor chaos that ensues。 The story is told entirely through the internal Slack messages from a variety of channels at Gerald’s public relations firm and includes:- Normal workplace cha “if we can’t seek the physical sublimewhat are we supposed to look atwhere’s that constant amazementthat we can check in on every so often whenever we can stand it”SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING is a surreal， absurd， and delightful story about Gerald， whose consciousness gets uploaded into his workplace’s Slack and the minor chaos that ensues。 The story is told entirely through the internal Slack messages from a variety of channels at Gerald’s public relations firm and includes:- Normal workplace chatter about clients， copy， strategy， and the kinds of jokes coworkers tell you that make you groan- A cursed spreadsheet- Workplace romance- A PR crisis involving poisoned dog food- The Brief No One Could Find- Lydia’s mysterious howling problem- Doug’s notes to self- Almost every office worker personality you can imagine- Increasingly existential conversations between Gerald and the Slackbot- Lines from a Yeats poem- Meditations on the beauty of a sunset and the eerie permanence of the internet- A heist of sorts？ And/or body swap？- Emoji communication gone awryThis book is weird in the best way possible while also being surprisingly tender and insightful。 The author leans in to the potential of Slack-style communication to be both poetic and banal。 I laughed， I cackled， I swooned， I believed in the beauty and goodness of being human again。 And， no spoilers， but it’s queer and I LOVE THAT FOR US。 It’s like a slow-burn workplace chatfic。 Very fun experience and I’d definitely recommend this！ Also， the author is trans which is great， because trans people are fucking awesome。Thanks Doubleday Books for the ARC！ 。。。more
Jenna
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Thanks to @doubledaybooks for sending me this hilariously bizarre book！！ Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke is written entirely in Slack messages。 Gerald， an employee at a PR firm， accidentally uploads his consciousness to Slack， and is stuck there。 I cackled loudly many times while reading this！ It really captures the current WFH moment。 It’s so funny and absurd。 I could have read this in a sitting but I started it when I was tired so I had to finish it the next day。 It’s really quick Thanks to @doubledaybooks for sending me this hilariously bizarre book！！ Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke is written entirely in Slack messages。 Gerald， an employee at a PR firm， accidentally uploads his consciousness to Slack， and is stuck there。 I cackled loudly many times while reading this！ It really captures the current WFH moment。 It’s so funny and absurd。 I could have read this in a sitting but I started it when I was tired so I had to finish it the next day。 It’s really quick and so readable！ I highly recommend it for when you want a fast read that will make you laugh。 。。。more
Alyssa
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Several People are Typing - 4⭐Thank you Doubleday and Netgalley for the advanced digital ARC。Quick synopsis: This book centers around employees at a PR firm and takes place solely on the company's Slack channels。What a creative and engaging debut！ I thought this was going to be more along the lines of working from home and communicating with co-workers during the pandemic， but this book takes place prior to that。 While I don't use Slack for work， we do use other similar programs and so certain p Several People are Typing - 4⭐Thank you Doubleday and Netgalley for the advanced digital ARC。Quick synopsis: This book centers around employees at a PR firm and takes place solely on the company's Slack channels。What a creative and engaging debut！ I thought this was going to be more along the lines of working from home and communicating with co-workers during the pandemic， but this book takes place prior to that。 While I don't use Slack for work， we do use other similar programs and so certain parts were really relatable and had me laughing out loud （:dusty-stick:）。 At first， I wasn't sure how Lydia's and Gerald's storylines were going to play out， but it was unexpected and just great。 This kind of format may not be for everyone， but if you like novels centered around the workplace， or are just looking up for a fun， quick， and unique read， this is a great choice！Full review on bookstagram to come！ 。。。more
Jacob Aron
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This is an extremely silly but also very good book about a man who gets stuck in Slack， as told through Slack logs。 It's not actually about working from home during the pandemic， but definitely captures the slight sense of being unhinged by virtual living。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 This is an extremely silly but also very good book about a man who gets stuck in Slack， as told through Slack logs。 It's not actually about working from home during the pandemic， but definitely captures the slight sense of being unhinged by virtual living。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Sean Loughran
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Several People Are Typing was absolutely brilliant， and probably one of the most unique books I've ever read。 The prose is most definitely a sign of the times we find ourselves living， and a completely accurate portrayal of what it's like to work online。 The entire novel is written in Slack formatted messages and emojis， and clocks in at just over two hundred pages which made it a light， quick and easy read。 Once I started， I couldn't stop， and read the entire book in one sitting， becoming entir Several People Are Typing was absolutely brilliant， and probably one of the most unique books I've ever read。 The prose is most definitely a sign of the times we find ourselves living， and a completely accurate portrayal of what it's like to work online。 The entire novel is written in Slack formatted messages and emojis， and clocks in at just over two hundred pages which made it a light， quick and easy read。 Once I started， I couldn't stop， and read the entire book in one sitting， becoming entirely consumed by the characters and storyline。 Each character was unique in what they brought， and I found myself picturing what they would be like in real life。 I especially loved the amusing Slack channel names， Gerald and Pradeep’s chats， and the other employee interactions that took place over direct messages。 The side stories， like Beverly and Tripp's secret office romance and the Bjärk dog food PR crisis made this a more engaging and hysterical read。 As someone who uses Slack religiously， and used to work for a consumer PR firm， I found this book to be relatable in so many ways。 It might be a harder book to get into if you're not used to the Slack lingo， but with many of us working from home， and likely using the app， hopefully you'll find some humour in this one。 I can't recommend this enough。 If you use Slack or any form of instant messenger for internal communications at work， this is an absolute must-read。 LOVED IT！Avocado Diaries 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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An entire novel written in the form of Slack messages might be too much for some readers but those who have used it （or similar things） will find themselves laughing out loud。 Especially for poor Gerald who has somehow been uploaded （sort of） into the the channel。 At it's root， this is a sendup of office culture。 You'll likely recognize at least one of the employees of this PR firm， even if you work in a different arena。 A PR disaster involving poisonous dog food brings out the worst in some （an An entire novel written in the form of Slack messages might be too much for some readers but those who have used it （or similar things） will find themselves laughing out loud。 Especially for poor Gerald who has somehow been uploaded （sort of） into the the channel。 At it's root， this is a sendup of office culture。 You'll likely recognize at least one of the employees of this PR firm， even if you work in a different arena。 A PR disaster involving poisonous dog food brings out the worst in some （and not the best in pretty much anyone）。 I liked the interaction between Gerald and Slackbot， the AI。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 It's light and funny but it's also got some things to say about how we work with one another。 Know that it does help to understand Slack at least a little to fully appreciate this。 。。。more
Brandice
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Several People Are Typing is a quick， timely read about a group of PR agency employees communicating solely through the project platform Slack。 Anyone who uses Slack or another communications platform at work can likely relate to parts of this story — The group focuses on their current projects， the main one for a dog food company trying to handle crisis management， as well as their personal lives。 The team works from home often due to weather， dental appointments， and more。 One employee， Gerald Several People Are Typing is a quick， timely read about a group of PR agency employees communicating solely through the project platform Slack。 Anyone who uses Slack or another communications platform at work can likely relate to parts of this story — The group focuses on their current projects， the main one for a dog food company trying to handle crisis management， as well as their personal lives。 The team works from home often due to weather， dental appointments， and more。 One employee， Gerald， has been uploaded to the internal system and the Help Center， in fact， provides no help when he reaches out for assistance。 There were humorous elements in the story but it may be a stretch to call this a funny book。 It’s a fast， easy read and given its digital communications format， will be familiar for many readers。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Heather
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