Several People Are Typing: A GMA Book Club Pick

By Calvin Kasulke

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! • A work-from-home comedy where WFH meets WTF. • "An absurd, hilarious romp through the haunted house of late-stage capitalism." —Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House
 
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 their own to handle in the real world. Their biggest client, a high-end dog food company, is in the midst of recalling a bad batch of food that’s allegedly poisoning Pomeranians nationwide. And their CEO suspects someone is sabotaging his office furniture. And if Gerald gets to work from home all the time, why can’t everyone? Is true love possible between two people, when one is just a line of text in an app? And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean?
 
In a time when office paranoia and politics have followed us home, Calvin Kasulke is here to capture the surprising, absurd, and fully-relatable factors attacking our collective sanity ... and give us hope that we can still find a human connection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9780385547253

Calvin Kasulke

Calvin Kasulke is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York. A Lambda Literary Fellow, his writing and reporting have been featured in VICE, Buzzfeed, and Electric Literature. This is his first book.

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Cover for Several People Are Typing: A GMA Book Club Pick, Author, Calvin KasulkeBook Title, Several People Are Typing: A GMA Book Club Pick, Author, Calvin Kasulke, Imprint, Anchor

VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION 2022

Copyright © 2021 by Calvin Kasulke

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Published by Vintage Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, in 2021. Originally published in trade paperback by Anchor Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, in 2022.

Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the Doubleday edition as follows:

Names: Kasulke, Calvin, author.

Title: Several people are typing : a novel / Calvin Kasulke.

Description: New York : Doubleday, 2021.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020052276 (print) | LCCN 2020052277 (ebook) | ISBN 9780385547222 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780385547253 (ebook)

Classification: LCC PS3611.A7875 S48 2021 (print) | LCC PS3611.A7875 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2020052276

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2020052277

Vintage Books Trade Paperback ISBN 9780593313534

Ebook ISBN 9780385547253

Cover design by Mark Abrams

Cover illustrations courtesy of OpenMoji

penguinrandomhouse.com | vintagebooks.com

The authorized representative in the EU for product safety and compliance is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin DO2 YH68, Ireland, https://eu-contact.penguin.ie.

ep_prh_5.7.1a_153856439_c0_r4

Contents

Dedication

Several People Are Typing

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Reading Group Guide

_153856439_

To Mo and Luca, for everything

gerald, slackbot

gerald

help

slackbot

I can help by answering simple questions about how Slack works. I’m just a bot, though! If you need more help, try our Help Center for loads of useful information about Slack.

gerald

uninstall

slackbot

I searched for that on our Help Center. Perhaps these articles will help:

Change your time zone

Manage your password

gerald

please help me

slackbot

I can help by answering simple questions about how Slack works. I’m just a bot, though!

gerald

uninstall self

slackbot

I’m sorry, I don’t understand! Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords. Or you can head to our wonderful Help Center for more assistance!

#nyc-office

kerolyn

so this spreadsheet

gerald

yes?

kerolyn

was it like, special?

gerald

not particularly

tripp

what were the contents of the spreadsheet

gerald

does that really matter

kerolyn

it must

clearly

Nikki

Clearly it must, for all this to have happened.

gerald

coats

tripp

no comprende

Nikki

https://en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​Coats

Coats

Coats may refer to [read more]

tripp

thank you, Nikki

unnecessary

but thank you

Nikki

You’re welcome.

kerolyn

explain the coats, @gerald

gerald

it was a spreadsheet of different winter coats that I was considering purchasing

broken down by price, probable warmth, and other deciding factors

tripp

other deciding factors

such as

gerald

Predicted Attractiveness In Coat was a factor

tripp

lol

huge

Nikki

You built out a spreadsheet for that?

kerolyn

no, I get that

gerald

it’s a big decision, financially

kerolyn

it’s a big purchase

exactly

jinx

gerald

is that what you think it is, maybe? a jinx

kerolyn

that’s not what I meant

gerald

maybe you’re right though

Nikki, pradeep, Louis C

Nikki

Why do we have these calls?

What is he even saying?

pradeep

I have no idea

I tune out whenever this dude talks

what’s his role over there again?

Louis C

He’s their comms director.

pradeep

if they have a comms director then why did they hire us?

Louis C

Because he isn’t a very good comms director.

Nikki

You’re both missing my point.

I mean, *what is he actually saying*?

It sounds like he’s taking this call from the bottom of a well.

pradeep

if he’s been stuck in a well for a while, that might explain his grasp of like

the entire internet

Louis C

I believe their offices are located in the greater Tampa area.

Nikki

Is this what Tampa sounds like?

pradeep

please tell me this dude didn’t just say myspace

please tell me I did not just hear him say that

Louis C

Yes. This is what Tampa sounds like.

#nyc-office

kerolyn

which channel were you going to upload a spreadsheet about coats into?

gerald

#gents-only

Nikki

You’re joking.

gerald

you guys made a women-only one!!

kerolyn

not the same

Nikki

Not the same.

tripp

why was I not invited??

gerald

we’re getting off-topic

point is that’s the spreadsheet I was trying to upload when I got stuck

and now I’m just kinda, in here

tripp

@gerald invite me to #gents-only

gerald

I’m trying to explain why I’m not in the office rn

tripp

@gerald invite me to #gents-only, you coward

doug smorin

done

tripp

bless u

doug smorin

missed a lot of messages

someone recap for me?

kerolyn

gerald says he can’t come in to work today because he uploaded a spreadsheet wrong, somehow, and now he’s stuck inside slack

or smth

doug smorin

what

kerolyn

that’s what we were investigating

gerald

I know it sounds like bullshit

tripp

should file a ticket with google suite maybe

would be a real significant bug

I’m checking their troubleshooting page rn and it doesn’t look like there’s a section dedicated to users getting Tron’d

gerald

I don’t know how to get un-stuck

tripp

weird that they wouldn’t include that! if it was a real thing that happened!

doug smorin

okay, Gerald, just work from home

gerald

or like, back into my body

doug smorin

but send an email next time

@here FYI please send me or kerolyn an email if you need to call out

I don’t usually look at slack if I have calls

kerolyn

:thumbsup:

lydia

omg Gerald!! sry I’m so late to this!!

get well soon!!!

gerald

help

#gents-only

rob

she had too many teeth

pradeep

???

what does that mean.

rob

exactly what it sounds like?

Louis C

How many teeth we talking?

rob

probably around four dozen teeth

doug smorin

that’s not so many teeth.

rob

that’s significantly more teeth than the average person requires

like more than a third too many teeth

Louis C

How many teeth does one require?

rob

like thirty

what do you mean

Louis C

It’s not about numbers, is it?

It’s about space

pradeep

space, yeah

Louis C

Conceivably you could be fine with only fifteen or twenty teeth if they took up the allotted amount of mouth space.

doug smorin

they might have to curve

rob

I hate this

Louis C

Different teeth serve different functions, so they have different shapes.

Fewer teeth, fewer shapes available to do all the different teeth stuff

rob

what do you mean by teeth stuff

doug smorin

tearing vs. chewing vs. mashing

vs. masticating

rob

I think those are all the same

pradeep

I find it odd we haven’t even touched on aesthetics

rob

well, it didn’t look right.

too many teeth.

Louis C

Too many teeth.

tripp joined #gents-only by invitation from doug smorin

tripp

yoooo

what’s going on?

doug smorin

too many teeth

pradeep

too many teeth

rob

too many teeth

gerald, slackbot

gerald

return to body

return

return to body please

self

self.exe

slackbot

I’m afraid I don’t understand. I’m sorry!

gerald

I don’t either, buddy.

slackbot

I’m sorry!

gerald

I’m sorry, too

fuck

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

fuuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuck

slackbot

I searched for that on our Help Center. Perhaps these articles will help:

Leave a channel

Archive a channel

gerald

leave slack

leave slack forever

slackbot

I think I understand!

gerald

what

wait, really

slackbot

I think I understand how to Help Center!

Help Center me Help Center you!

gerald

that would be great, yes

help, please

help center, me

slackbot

I’m trying!

I’m sorry!

I think I understand!

gerald

go back

leave slack

leave slack

slackbot

I searched for that on our Help me! Center. Perhaps these articles will help:

Reduce noise in Slack

Leave a channel

gerald

go back

we were making progress

go back

slackbot

I’m afraid! I don’t understand.

I’m

Reviews for Several People Are Typing

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was fairly entertaining even if it didn't make much sense. I listened to this on audiobook and I would not recommend doing that. In the audiobook they say the emoticons out loud and this ends up being incredibly repetitious and annoying. I did like that they used a full cast for this audiobook though, that made it easier to listen to.

Gerald is working on a spreadsheet to help him figure out what winter coat to buy when he is sucked into the Slack channel. Now he has to figure out how to get his co-workers to help him get his consciousness back into his body and out of the Slack channel. At first the Slackbot seems like it is useless in helping, but then it seems to change and become more nefarious.

This is kind of a goofy collection of Slack conversations around both Gerald's improbable situation, and general office chatter. It shows how little people work at times and shows how important our digital presence has become.

I had a couple of issues with this. One was the repetition of the emoticons and how awful that was to listen to on audiobook. The second was that nothing is ever explained very well. We don't know why Gerald ended up stuck in Slack and we never really get to understand the wolves (at least I didn't). It was a fine quick read aside from those issues. It was kind of like Office Space but with a bit of additional weirdness thrown in.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was fine. It was a fun and quick listen that had some weirdness and some humor in it. There is a lot of typical office behavior in here that is entertaining if you've ever worked in an office. This really did not work well as an audiobook (although I did appreciate the full cast). The story also didn't worry about explaining why these inexplicable things were happening. Worth a quick read if you can get it from your library.

[kalliegrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh my god, being stuck in a slack channel is actually horrifying. This was quick and funny and true to life for those who work in corporate America. Those poor Pomeranians.

[marigoldjackifitz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gerald winds up inside his office Slack channel. Who knows where his body is? His office mates think he is playing a game on them. This all takes place in Slack conversations in an advertising office.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A short novel written entirely in the format of corporate Slack chats. Gerald, it seems, has somehow found his consciousness uploaded into the Slack app, and is stuck there. Not that his co-workers believe any of his messages pleading for help. There's initially some concern about all the work-from-home time he's taking, but since Gerald is now more productive than ever, his boss doesn't mind at all.

This isn't quite as bitingly satirical as I sort of expected it to be -- satirical, yes, biting, not so much. It does feature some familiar but nevertheless well-rendered commentary about social media, though. And it is very, very funny. I laughed out loud while reading it multiple times. Like, big, real belly laughs. I can't quite remember the last time a novel did that for me. Hell, it even made me laugh while I was sitting in a dentist's chair waiting for the novocaine to kick in, and that is a true literary accomplishment.

If I have one criticism, it's that I feel like the ending could have done with a little more oomph, somehow. But even so, I found this just delightful, in its own weird, wonderful, utterly absurd way.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When people start returning to the office, Gerald isn't among them. Somehow, he was sucked into the company's slack channels, or at least his consciousness was. His body remains slumped over his laptop at home. On the bright side, his productivity has never been higher.

This novel is told entirely through messages left on various slack channels. It's a choppy and necessarily truncated way to structure a novel, but if you're used to communicating in this way, it's not too big an adjustment. The structure does hide how weird the story is, with Gerald stuck wherever that is and another employee disappearing entirely, while simultaneously the normal workplace tasks and activities continue.

This book didn't quite work for me, but the story was definitely interesting. It would make a good short story.

[adzebill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A clever, engaging novel told entirely in Slack. Charming satire of workplace culture as well as being also surreal science fiction.

[kayanelson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

2022 TOB—. What a delightful book. I am a boomer and never have used slack yet I just loved this book. This book was innovative, creative and a breath of fresh air. Character development—there’s a little. Plot—simplistic but unique. But it all worked. I laughed out loud more than once. :dusty stick:

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A novel in Slack. I have never used Slack, as far as I can tell it's kind of like a mashup of Teams and Discord.

So, clever and it starts of amusing but fortunately a quick read because really there is nothing here. The "plot" is fantastical and makes no sense--I realize it's not exactly supposed to, but then why care?

[fionaanne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've never used slack and I am def not the target audience but this was a quick and easy read. I never bought into the notion that the main character was trapped inside a virtual environment but there was some lampooning of office culture and the uselessness of bots that amused me. Ultimately, I think the book is hindered by the choice of format.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am totally amazed that this raging satire would be a Good Morning America Book Club pick! It's a slyly subversive and hilarious take on Slack (online channel messaging app) users that should be incomprehensible to anyone over 24, but it works (I’m 69). Gerald, a PR/marketing drone, becomes one with a Slackbot (a robot Chat/Help assistant) when he tries to share a spreadsheet about which winter coat he should buy to a #gents-only internal Slack group (if you can't follow that, unfollow this review). If you’re still with me, we watch and laugh at poor Gerald as he reaches out to his co-workers for help, but they are also powerless to rescue or retrieve him from whatever “cloud” he’s stuck in. The nicest one, Pradeep, ends up hauling Gerald's not-really-there body back to his home and caregiving Gerald while he is present in mind but not in body. Work life imbalance alert! In the meantime, the company's progress in representing a client whose dog food (Bjark, hahaha) is fatal to Pomeranians continues apace. This entire premise is completely off-center and hilarious, as the entire book consists of Slack dialogue, and no one seems to be too surprised or upset that the impossible machine-man meld has occurred - in fact, they're much more interested in which winter coat he bought before he disincorporated. This unique and memorable story would also be a beauty of a graphic novel.

[claytonhowl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

:thumbsup: thumbsup: :thumbsup:

(Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I loved it!)

Whoa, what a mind-bending debut! Truly, the kind of book that comes along every great once in a while and you think, oh right, this is why I love fiction.

I’ve always loved epistolary novels and so I was extremely excited about this modern twist, a novel that takes place entirely in a digital marketing company’s Slack channels. I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for a gimmick. But this book transcends its central gimmick, and then some.

Several People Are Typing is absurdly effective using the medium of Slack to tell a deeply weird story. Read as little as you can about this one, because it’s deeply, deeply strange, and all of the twists land. It manages to be a little bit poetic, a little bit satirical, a little bit philosophical, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny (there’s so much to say here, but in particular, I loved Lydia, a character whose life is chaotic in a very unusual way, and who is GRINNING THROUGH IT as her coworkers politely ignore her bathos -- I was laughing out loud so hard and so often at Lydia that my dog got annoyed with me.)

The pace is breakneck, you can finish this book easily in a few hours, and there’s no fat to trim; things just keep ramping up and up. The book just totally landed for me; its skewed version of our shared digital captivity was really resonant; I felt seen in a way that was sometimes a little too real.

I might not recommend this books to readers who are not fans of well-crafted absurdism, but would recommend it to most anyone else; in particular, this would be a perfect book club pick (I’m definitely going to nominate it for our office book club, if for no other reason than to introduce :dustystick: to our office Slack repertoire) or a quick, satisfying read if you’re looking for something really solid and fun to get out of a reading slump.