Ling Ma's Severance is eerie, not just because of its bleak dystopian content but also because of its overall prescience. the novel feels like one giant chill working its way down the reader’s spine—and this is particularly so with the intra-COVID reader. 

through Severance, Ling Ma reaches through the pages and sows seeds of doubt in our real lives, but without judgment, which must be why it has been so impactful to readers. she does so sharply but kindly, her evocative prose often cushioning her criticisms but not obscuring them. she is making a point, and she makes it well and without pretension. she perfectly balances overtness and subtlety in a way that makes it incredibly clear that the things that are not said are just as important as the things that are, and it is up to the reader to see through the thin veil of allegory (a very simple task, and probably why this book is so popular). 

i personally identify heavily with Candace, as delusional as she might sometimes be, because i myself am stubbornly holding on to a corporate publishing job, aiming for a light at the end of the tunnel that may not even exist. while the reader might chide Candace for her flaws, one cannot truly blame her for her idealism. she has nothing else but her job, nothing else but to continue being stubborn.

this is one of my favorite books i’ve read this year, and i’m thoroughly impressed. my expectations were high already, and they were exceeded. my only regret is that it’s taken me this long to read it!