These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Olga Ravn’s The Employees, translated by Martin Aitken and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, is a sci-fi story set within the world of futuristic spaceship run by productivity-minded humans and humanoids. The book, structured through witness statements from the crew members about a number of strange objects the ship has received from another planet, relays what happens when those objects begin prompting deep reactions, reminding the humans of a now-faraway earth and filling the humanoids with new feelings, like longing and a desire for warmth. The Employees is a clever exploration of what it means to be a person—and an excellent satire of corporate lingo. —Mahita Gajanan
Buy Now: The Employees on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
