Hard Copy

This book was hilarious, and a little bit absurd and carefully and eccentrically captivated what it means to work in a corporate space. Will definitely be recommending.

Our character is a slightly unbalanced character who's past plays constant torment on her mind. She releases her stress by talking to her printer.

I enjoyed this book, I found the main character very easy to emphasize with, the author had a wonderful talent for show how pasts can haunt our current lives in unexpected ways.

I do think the ending was quite weak, it sort on lost me at the end, as it began rambling and a few characters storylines never felt rapped up to me. But I did really like it and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation or Melissa Broder

An electric, hilarious takedown of workplace culture, class, capitalism and everything that goes along with it.

I was initially drawn in by the absurdity of the tagline ‘This is a story of girl meets printer’, the sensational cover - I have never seen a better cover - and its Halle Butler comparisons.

In the end, it exceeded my expectations and is solidly now among one of the best workplace novels I've ever read.

It walks the path of both the outlandish and the mundane in ways that made me puff out a laugh, roll my eyes in knowing, reflect and contemplate how I see and interact with the world around me.

The writing is fantastic, and wonderfully translated in a way which feels like it contains all the nuances and essences of the original text. It's at times witty and punchy, and others flowery and figurative, but above all it remains thoughtful.

I loved this one and can't wait to see what Veldman writes next!

Thank you so much Shannon for the chance to read!!

Okay so I know you're not meant to judge a book by it's cover but that is the reason I requested this book. And lord I was not prepared for the ride it took me on. A story of girl meets printer, what can you expect? EVERYTHING! It is emotional, funny, dark and yet you are just rooting for the narrator the whole time. I really fun, slightly weird book that everyone should give a chance. And yes, I'm caring much more for my printer now.

A book about a woman who develops an emotional attachment to the printer in her office, she slowly begins to reveal a secret from her childhood that still seems to haunt her as an adult.

This is a novel with some incredibly insightful opinions on the human condition. So beautifully written and I devoured it in one sitting.

This is one that will stick in my memory for a very long time and I will be recommending it to everyone! An excellent example of a "weird girl book".

This was such a strange and unique read, but I absolutely devoured it. The book reminded me a lot of Your Utopia by Bora Chung, as that focuses a lot on sentient technology too. I thought the way in which Veldman told this story was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

This is a book about an incredibly anxious woman who is allergic to stress and the relationship she forms with her work printer. She sits in her office all day talking to "him" until, unsurprisingly, her boss thinks she's losing her mind and puts her on leave.

This book does not have much in the way of a plot, which is not an issue for me but may be for some. I recognised a lot of my own experience with anxiety in her inner ramblings and her struggle to function in the world, so maybe that's why I enjoyed the read more than I was expecting to. If you like weird books that are mostly vibes, you'll probably enjoy this.

This is a weird little book about a woman and her friendship with her printer. Only I wish she had really leaned into her obsession and been a bit weirder about it all, if that's even possible? The book said a lot about working and loneliness and stress that I think a lot of people can relate to, and about feeling like just another part of the system, no different and no less replaceable than a printer. The printers part in the book was almost tender, it really made me feel for the printer and the loss of friendship. I liked the parts about growing up in poverty and almost wish there was more of that and about what has made our main character so anxious and unwell.

Another really solid translated work about the monotonousness of the workplace and how office life can drive you completely insane. This book is about an unnamed narrator who starts talking to her printer in her office and her coworkers start to wonder what’s up. When she is told to go on leave for her mental health she finds it really hard to leave the printer and her attachment to it grows more maddening and dependant as the novel goes on.

I really loved the voice in this book and the tone was absolutely perfect. I didn’t expect it to be both such a great comment on the workplace but also have a really witty and slightly unhinged narration to it as well.

They have slightly oversold the whole “romance with a printer” thing in the marketing as this only takes up a small part of the book, and it is mostly focused on the narrators inability to leave the workplace and think of herself as a whole person without being attached to her job and the objects at her office.

A really great book and definitely want to read more from this author and translator.

As soon as I read the summary of this book, I knew it had to go straight on my TBR pile.
Both quirky and insightful, it really highlights how what can be considered the mundane day to day activities of work, socialisation and commuting can really take a toll on the average person’s mental and physical well-being.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of the book, and found the FMC & printers POV extremely well written. The writing style bought a human nature to the inanimate, and a detachment to the other surrounding characters, showing how sometimes the one person someone can lean on may not be a person at all.

The one thing this book did lack was the “weird” nature I was expecting from both the summary and the cover. I would say the phrase ‘Girl meets printer’ isn’t the main premise of the book, more of an accompanying story of a woman who seems to be suffering with social anxiety and some sort of coping mechanism for this. This is definitely not what I was expecting diving into this, so if you’re looking for a “weird” or “strange” read this may not be the book for you!

Hard Copy is out on 6th June 2024. Thank you to NetGalley & Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read the Arc!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a book for fans of Halle Butler and Ottessa Moshfegh, such weird girl vibes.

I really think this book does a good job of showing how anxiety can affect your day to day life, and somehow isolate you from people and situations. Of course there is also the relationship with the printer on top of this which was very interesting to read!

This was a joy to read, I really enjoyed the writing style and the dialogue in this. Would 100% recommend to other weird girlies!

I feel that Hard Copy captures the monotonous world of low-level office life perfectly. Reading the blurb about the relationship between the narrator and a printer, I was expecting something more surreal or absurdist, but what I found was instead a moving portrait of a young woman's struggles with mental illness, and the tender connection she forms with an inanimate object.

The narrator feels disconnected from her colleagues, and the book conveys an increasing sense of isolation and otherness to her. The novel evoked strong emotional reactions in me; sadness for the narrator when she's put on leave from work and is separated from the printer, anger at her colleagues (referred to by their job titles only, which adds to the sense of disconnect) at not letting her be, and a wider frustration at the world for still not accepting otherness.

I felt the part narrated by the printer was deftly done. It was a surprisingly moving reflection on the disposable society we live in, and it added to an overall theme of how not just machines, but all of us, as people, are imminently replaceable.

This is such an odd book. But I really loved it. Written and translated so beautifully. It’s very effective and it really captures so office dynamics I have come across! Great to get an advance copy.

"Hard Copy" by Fien Veldman is like a cozy chat with a quirky friend over coffee. You've got this customer service gal who's best buds with her printer, of all things. As she spills her guts to her trusty machine, her boss thinks she's losing it. Diagnosed with burnout and facing job loss, she's not going down without a fight – for her printer pal. Veldman's tale is quirky, heartwarming, and a bit offbeat, but it hits home with its message about friendship, mental health, and the unexpected places we find solace. "Hard Copy" is a quirky gem that'll make you smile.

Perhaps the tagline of "This is a story of girl meets printer" has given some readers the wrong impression of this book - it is not a romance between a woman and an inanimate object, nor is there any spice!

This is a workplace novel, with a touch of magical realism, centred around a rather lonely woman who is one of the lowest in the hierarchy at her place of work. With no-one to talk to, she talks to the printer, which leads to a misunderstanding with her colleagues and manager. The plot is fairly sparse, as most of the focus is on the inner monologue of our main character in a stream-of-consciousness style.

The day-to-day of the main character's life is interspersed with thoughts surrounding an incident that occurred in her youth and colours her view of her home town. I saw a review describing her as unlikable, but I found her to be a sympathetic and odd but generally likable character who has been affected by trauma.

The ending was left slightly open, but I think it worked for this story.

I found it a little too strange but in a good way. Part 3 reminded me of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun. It was somewhat hard to follow when I first started it but you get into the stream-of-consciousness narrative quickly. There are funny moments but it is mostly an exploration of social anxiety, loneliness, and an unusual friendship. I thought it would've been interesting to learn what caused the main character's anxiety. If you enjoy weird, quirky books, this one's for you.

Hard Copy is a slice of life story that follows an unnamed protagonist feeling adrift as she struggles with work, her colleagues and her lack of a personal life. She finds solace in the form of her printer, with whom she shares her hopes, her dreams and her musings of life. The story was told through our narrators inner monologue as we follow her day-to-day life, filled with witty comments and observations on the mundane. I appreciated the commentary on the monotony of the workplace, as the narrator contemplates her role as a cog in the machine that can be so easily replaced and the effect this has on a person whose inability to feel like a whole person outside of her job causes intense anxiety. I was interested in the way this this book felt like a stream of consciousness and found the interspersed flashbacks of our narrator as a child to be a valuable addition. The book also had an open-ended conclusion with I think worked well for the story that was told. I would recommend Hard Copy to readers who, like me, love books focusing on complicated, weird women.

*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Hard Copy is about a woman who becomes obsessed with the printer at work, telling it all her deepest thoughts and fears as though it’s a friend.

I initially picked this up because it sounded weird and I love a weird book, but it immediately became apparent that this book was more than that. It’s a tender exploration of loneliness, and how isolated people can often feel within their lives, even when they’re surrounded by people. It reminded me of Convenience Store Woman, and of a character who just feels as though she doesn’t fit in and doesn’t have anyone she can open up to.

It’s a moving read, despite the unusual concept, and you really feel for the main character. There were so many quotes which were relevant and relatable, focusing on what it means to be lonely and commenting on the workplace experience.

An insightful and memorable read rich in social commentary, which I’d recommend for translated fiction lovers who are looking for something a little bit weird, but still very relevant.

How could I resist this cover!
I read this over the weekend, it falls into my weird books that I couldn't put down category..
A relatable and strangely lovely read about office life, loneliness, anxiety, class and the never ending daily grind.
I loved how this was written ( and translated) and was completely captivated by this unnamed main character.
One that will stay with, weird in the best possible way. A delight.