The Factory

by Hiroko Oyamada

David Boyd (Translator)

3 of 5 stars 1 rating • 0 reviews • 2 shelved
Book cover for The Factory

Bookhype may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.

The English-language debut of one of Japan's most exciting new writers, The Factory follows three workers at a sprawling industrial factory. Each worker focuses intently on the specific task they've been assigned: one shreds paper, one proofreads documents, and another studies the moss growing all over the expansive grounds. But their lives slowly become governed by their work-days take on a strange logic and momentum, and little by little, the margins of reality seem to be dissolving: Where does the factory end and the rest of the world begin? What's going on with the strange animals here? And after a while-it could be weeks or years-the three workers struggle to answer the most basic question: What am I doing here?

With hints of Kafka and unexpected moments of creeping humor, The Factory casts a vivid-and sometimes surreal-portrait of the absurdity and meaninglessness of the modern workplace.

  • ISBN10 0811228851
  • ISBN13 9780811228855
  • Publish Date 12 November 2019
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint New Directions Publishing Corporation
  • Format Paperback
  • Pages 128
  • Language English