A book a day: Olga Ravn: Employees

1. There is no deconstruction, but we are faced with a fragmented narrative in multiple testimonies issued by an equally undetermined number of declarants and that, in principle, can give a chaotic appearance, but that really guides us firmly by the entire narrative, until its outcome.
2. It is true that it is a “soft” science fiction novel that derives at times towards a somewhat diffuse metaphysics, expressing the characters-that is, the declarants or witnesses that I have referred to-their doubts about their identity, the reliability of their memories or the purpose of their mission. If this does not remind you of the narrative of Lem and Dick, indisputable-and fundamental-authors of science fiction, you will tell me …
3. On the other hand, both Philip K. Dick and Stanislaw Lem are already sufficiently postmodern; In fact, it cannot be more-, although their names are not found in the “serious” literature treaties. So making a deconstruction, construction or double tirabuzón of his works would be redundant.

Summary Summary: The Six Thousand Ship, from Earth, is close to the planet? called recent discovery, with the purpose of collecting possible findings – objects – and transfer them to the ship. Such objects, of imprecise nature – it is not clear whether it is living beings or not, or even if they can be defined in this way – they are guarded in rooms that could well be considered museums – some of these objects would say more contemporary art facilities than extraterrestrial entities – and exert a diffuse but undeniable influence on the crew of the ship that enter them. Crew or, better yet, employees, among which are both human and others of human appearance, already manufactured adults and endowed with software that includes false memories (does this idea sound like someone?); Both and others are lending their testimonies to a committee commissioned by the company or agency that has sent them there -Homebase- of investigating and/or registering what happens in the ship. Or perhaps it is a standard human resources procedure – that is, human and with human appearance – that more weird things have been seen, even in our prosaic reality; In any case, it is these testimonies that make up the novel, by way of small “chapters” (the quotes because it is not that it is, exactly, I already say that with a more disorderly appearance of what they are, in reality, in reality,

It is true that this premise would be worth the same for a more speculative ci-fi novel or another with a humorous, terror, cyberpunk or whatever … but what Olga Ravn does is, in the first place, to provide it with a subtly poetic tone, in which the sensory impressions, both immediately, seem to be stimulated by the objects, like those that have been printed in the memory of employees. Secondly, rather than the space adventures of the crew of the ship six thousand the novel focuses on the relations between them and, above all, on the assumption or alienation of their humanity for each other; Humans seem to feel their condition less and less, while their human appearance partners are becoming aware of being …

The result is a somewhat unbeatable novel -especially at the beginning -, traveled by poetic breath, if it gets stomach or excessively condition reading. But it does leave a place in the same, an air between existentialist and dreamlike that can result from the taste of many readers, although also frightening others. Hence the valuation I have put in this review; It is not that, in my opinion, this novel is recommended (obviously, it is always in my opinion), but that I think they have a taste and an interest I do not say similar to mine, but in tune with them and, above all, in tune with what Olga Ravn proposes. Whoever happens, the novel will not disappoint.