Hi! I'm looking for a book like Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter.
This book made me feel SEEN. The reality of corporate burnout, the conversations she had with her manager and her colleagues, and the reality of working a "dream job" that suddenly doesn't feel like such a dream. Working through depression basically but still achieving. How corporate hustle culture has dehumanized us.
I don't know what genre this is or if there are books with similar themes, but please recommend!
by Jolly-Sea6019
3 Comments
Maybe Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill or Normal People by Sally Rooney (not strictly corporate hustle, but the author captures anxiety and self-worth really well)
If Ripe hit you like that, you might like My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. It’s not corporate in the same way, but it really captures that numb, burned out, drifting through life feeling in a way that’s uncomfortable but honest.
Severance by Ling Ma also leans more satirical and dystopian, but the office culture and quiet despair parts feel very real. It has that why are we doing this energy.
Also maybe Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Different setting, but it really digs into work, identity, and how society defines what a normal life should look like.
Curious if it was the burnout angle or the depression angle that hit hardest for you?
I seccond the Severance recommendation. Maybe also The Circle by Dave Eggars. For something humorous about corporate life, I really enjoyed Several People Are Typing. For nonfiction, Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener might interest you.