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.

Thank you Veldman & NetGalley for this read!

Before delving into this book, I anticipated a narrative that would be 'weird'. Even Goodreads categorised it under Weird Fiction. The peculiar nature of the story becomes evident early on as the reader encounters a deliberate disconnection between the main character and the narrative. Every character is referred to by placeholders like '[my name]' or '[their name]', leaving readers in the dark about their identities. There is either that format or calling her colleagues by their role in the workplace so she will call one person ‘Marketing’ or ‘Product’ or ‘PR’. 
“Hey, [my name],’ PR said.

As I thought over this narrative approach, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a deliberate correlation between this 'disconnection' and the protagonist's peculiar relationship with a seemingly mundane object: the printer in her workplace.

I also wondered if this would be how AI would ‘think’ if it was installed within the printer? It would see the staff as not people, but what they work as.

Rather than interpreting it as one of those unsettling cases where people develop romantic attachments to objects (like the woman who famously married a rollercoaster), I envisioned it more like a cartoonish scenario where a lonely character befriends an inanimate object, turning it into an imaginary friend.

But then, in Part 3, the narrative takes a startling turn as we are introduced to a monologue from... the printer 😵‍💫 I only realised this when I stumbled upon a paragraph where the printer explains its unique perspective: 'not that I can squint, I have no eyes. No eyelashes...'. It reveals a malfunction at the factory where it was made, leading it to be the way it is—a member of the 'faceless' type.

Suddenly, the italicised parts of the protagonist's monologue are revealed to be directed at the printer, which 'hears' it all, whether spoken aloud or in her thoughts, even from vast distances. It's decoded ‘in strings of zeros and ones, in subtle energy variations’.

This book ranks as one of the strangest I've ever read. One character stood out for me: the garbage man. His presence added a touch of humanity to the surreal narrative, making him a standout in this bizarre story!

I devoured it in one sitting and don’t think I’ll forget about it for a long time yet, I was not ready for the printer’s POV. I definitely thought more was going to happen between the unnamed FMC and the printer when the blurb said “girl meets printer” but (sadly?) it doesn’t.

Thank you to Head of Zeus + NetGalley for the opportunity to read Hard Copy before it publishes on 6th June 2024 🩵

This was a very strange book, but the narrative thread running through it was interesting enough for me not to give up - I wanted to know if the girl would lose her job, and what she would do next. The setting seemed to be in a really run-down area. I wondered if it was supposed to be an alternate universe, or a dystopian future: there was a slight thread of danger running through it. Whether this was in general in this world, the natural fears of a vulnerable female, or just the girl's anxiety, For me, it had a satisfactory ending.

This was odd, to say the least. I knew it’d be a weird plot going into it, the premise of the novel describes some kind of relationship between a girl and a printer. However, the book was a lot more philosophical than I was expecting. It focuses more on the life of this young woman, and her confusing backstory and life choices. I didn’t quite understand the switching narrative, nor the plot itself, it read like a steady stream of consciousness with no real meaning.

As a fan of "weird" books I was very excited for Hard Copy, girl meets printer, what's not to like? There was a lot of things to like in this book, but it wasn't entirely what I was expecting. I would say this is more in the realm of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh than say, A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers or Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. There was a lot of stream of consciousness from our very anxious narrator and her observations were quite funny. However, I often found the italicized sections confusing, at first thinking they were flashbacks, then that they were unconnected to the main story at all. I now think they were meant to be the narrator directing her thoughts to the printer (?) but I couldn't say that with certainty.
I think my main disappointment is that the marketing of the book uses the phrase "Girl meets printer" which drew me in, but that wasn't the focus of the book really, it was more about her anxiety, the workplace environment and her allergy to stress. Although there was a lot of printer talk, we don't get to see the "relationship" develop, we aren't privy to the change in behaviour of the narrator, who presumably did not always think of the printer in the way she does now. That is what I was expecting from the blurb, and unfortunately I do think it would have made the book more interesting for me. I did not dislike the book, but I think it may struggle to find an audience, as it's magical realism and odd concept may turn away those who prefer their reading to be grounded in reality, yet not bring in the crowd who enjoy strange books, by not embracing the weirdness enough.
If you would enjoy a reflective look at office culture and how work can define people's lives, often to their detriment, then this might be the book for you!

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.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review

3 stars???!!!!

Damn I'm on the edge of maybe 2.5 rounded up but I'll give it a 3 for how it was wirrten as some prose I really liked and I did enjoy our main character as a person.

But I really wanted to like this so much more. And how the premise is written, I was truly expecting to read a story about her opening up to the printer and making a relationship out of it but what I was expecting hardly happened as the story mainly focuses on the loneliness in working in a corporate job. I was so ready to read a story of a woman banging a printer and I don't know what that says about me.

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".

I wish I enjoyed this more - usually an unhinged female narrator is right up my so I was left feeling rather disappointed.
I was intrigued by the premise but sadly the execution didn't work for me. The reason for the 2 star review was that the first half felt like it was going somewhere but then it fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC

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.

I was interested based on the plot summary but think it missold the book a little - I assumed this was going to be about a woman believing that she was forming a romantic and even sexual attachment to a printer. Instead of that it’s a sort of whimsical rumination on relationships and the meaning of work. So rather less transgressive than I was expecting which is not necessarily a bad thing but I struggled to find anything to connect with here.

Also have seen a lot of praise of the cover so perhaps it’s just me, but the girl on the cover looks like a child which seems a little odd.

Absurd, self conscious, not whimsical enough to be fun or dark enough to be thought provoking. I wish I liked it more.

What a strange book. The idea at its heart is interesting and fine — a lonely young woman who finds solace in her small office and, while doing her low-paid job printing off letters which her more senior colleagues and managers write, forms a kind of affinity with the printer, getting to know its iidiosyncrasies and 'moods' as though it were a person — is relatable and could be made so much more of, if the story were better structured and the irrelevant parts left out. The much-delayed parcel which takes up a large section of the first part of the novel, in the end leads to nothing. Why? — or rather, why not?

The question has to be: what is the author trying to achieve in writing this novel? There is a lot of philosophising about human nature which, while marginally interesting, does nothing to move the plot — not that there really is one — forward. The flashbacks to episodes in the main character's earlier life don't appear to have much purpose either other than, arguably, padding out the story a little.

Hopefully other readers will get more out of this novel than I have. Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

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!!

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

i think if you have ever worked in an office you will understand the mild obsession with that One printer that refuses to work no matter how many times IT “fixes” it. i don’t think i’ve ever had a mild obsession with befriending a printer.

the narrator of this book feels the same way about a printer as i do when i have to leave my dog at home for more than like 5 minutes. like i know i can’t take my dog everywhere but leaving her makes me feel like a bad parent (now say this sentence again but change dog for printer)

i appreciate i guess the author trying to get across points on loneliness and corporate jobs and feeling like a horrible cog in a system that doesn’t care about you. and sections of this book would make excellent protest banners but other sections made me sleepy (like fall asleep on a Dutch pavement sleepy which i did in 2018 but not for the same reason this narrator did)

the book did feel monotonous for a while (which may have been intentional?) so i was both glad & confused when a sub-plot regarding traumatic teen experiences showed up out of nowhere. i always love to try and read between the lines and guess where sub-plots are going but it's difficult to do when it feels ehlers danlos levels of disjointed.

and then suddenly we get to the printers section. and suddenly a very weird pessimistic novel becomes a sweet almost moving ode to friendship and feeling seen.

if you love a weird girl book i would for sure give it a try!! maybe i am just less weird than i thought

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.

Hard Copy is a novel about a young woman who makes friends with a printer, only to be separated from it. A customer service assistant at a startup spends her days printing in a little room, and talking to the printer. Unfortunately, her colleagues can hear these conversations, and she is placed on leave for burnout, where she is separated from her printer, and tries to look for purpose to her life.

This is the kind of book where the concept—"girl meets printer"—draws you in, and it does deliver on this, with a story of a protagonist who is obsessed with her work printer to give meaning to her tedious job, and a section that is from the perspective of the printer. The non-printer-narrated parts also explore her childhood in a working class area and how she might have come to be the anxious, stress-allergic person that she now is. There's a commentary on the modern world of work and the impact of class and status upon this that runs through the novel, with the absurd printer elements taking this in a slightly different direction to other books about an anxious narrator doing a tedious job.

Though I enjoyed reading Hard Copy, I found the ending was a bit disappointing, and generally I feel like the book, and especially the fourth section which comes after the part narrated by the printer, could've been much weirder, as the blurb felt like it was going to be. I'm sure some people will find the printer element weird enough, but for me, I felt like it could've delved deeper, and also maybe deconstructed the anxious narrator a bit more. Nonetheless, this sits nicely amongst absurd workplace novels that shine a light to modern life and books about millennials falling apart, so fans of those will probably enjoy it.

No, you didn't read it wrong - Fien Veldman has done the unimaginable and written a novel about one office printer's most inner thoughts.

I know, right?

Predictably, the utterly bizarre premise worked - I simply had to see what's hiding between the covers, and whether it lives up to the hype.

Both immensely entertaining and unexpectedly philosophical, the quality of this quirky fiction gem surprised me.

An exciting debut by a promising Dutch author set to be published in June 2024, Hard Copy follows an unnamed customer service assistant who spends days upon days printing letters. Her only friend - the office printer.

A friend, really, you ask? Yes. Hidden in an isolated office space with no colleagues in sight, the protagonist begins sharing her thoughts and ideas with the machine.

When diagnosed with burnout and placed on leave, the protagonist is in for a shock. Drawing parallels between the way people treat other people and the inanimate objects that serve them, she uses the newly found freedom to explore the depth of her loneliness.

Quiet contemplation is central to the plot, touching upon societal and gender norms. Are women worth less? Are men inherently fragile? How do we learn our place, and will it ever change?

Halfway through the book, the printer - a machine, an office supply, a friend - shares its part of the story. Tender and full of affection towards those who care, this unique perspective is set to inspire.

While navigating the lows of an unforeseen redundancy following her burnout diagnosis, the protagonist finds herself with no prospects. What's to become of her life? Given the space and time to reflect on her identity, she reconsiders the point of her existence - and the truth of her profound findings shines through every word.

Hard Copy offers a one-of-a-kind experience, a controversial angle of thinking about class, culture and the technology that increasingly becomes a part of our lives - and it's well worth a read.

If you've yet to read this, do yourself a favour and get on it.