Finally! Severance, the Apple TV+ dystopian office drama, has returned for its second season. After a near three-year hiatus, fans have been reunited with their favorite Lumon Industries employees. The series follows a group of increasingly disgruntled workers who have undergone a controversial procedure called Severance, which causes them to completely forget their “outie” personalities when they’re within their office walls. Although these employees enjoy freedom from the pain and heartache that motivated their decision to Sever in the first place, their lives aren’t without struggle or conflict, making for a wonderful watch (even if the word “wonderful” is not applicable to their working conditions).
With its high-gloss aesthetics, speculative plot, and taut dialogue, Severance takes aim at corporate culture, late-stage capitalism, and worker’s rights; these themes aren’t unique to the series, however. (Who hasn’t had a bad boss?) In fact, novelists have been imagining workplace dystopias for years, blending the absurdity of office dynamics with other apocalyptic threats like climate change and invasive technology, resulting in plots that feel increasingly relevant.
That’s why we rounded up some of the top novels every Severance fan should check out. No matter if you need a break from brushing up on your microdata refining skills or simply are searching for your next read, these novels will delight almost as much as winning a waffle party. With their twisty stories, near-future dystopias, and exploration of corporate life, these novels—both new and beloved—join a chorus of voices wondering if that meeting could have been an e-mail.
Below, check out 10 novels to read if you can’t get enough of Severance. See you in the Break Room.
Liberation Day by George Saunders
The latest short story collection from one of the best in the game, Liberation Day features a series of tales about everything from a break room from hell to colleagues duking it out over some stolen paper towels. Severance fans will find the bookend stories of the collection, which include the title story and My House, especially poignant in today’s political and technological landscape. For example, Liberation Day is told from the perspective of a person who has undergone the Morley procedure, which removes their memory so they can be programmed to “Speak” on topics for their owner’s entertainment. As with all Saunder’s work, the stories fly, propelled by sparse, electric prose and outrageous plots rooted by the humanity of the characters.
Severance by Ling Ma
Candace Chen is busy working when New York City is besieged by Shen Fever, a fictional disease that causes the infected to repeat their routine until they die. Remaining in the city far too long, Candace documents the decaying corpse of the metropolis in a blog. Eventually, however, Candace accepts she needs to leave before it’s too late—she’s harboring a secret that will require assistance in the future. Upon her departure, she links with a group of professionals, former lawyers, brand strategists and the like, as they make their way for The Facility, a declared haven by the leader of their group who may be as much a threat as a hero. If you’ve ever wished for a book that’s a mix of The Last of Us and Office Space, Severance is it.
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
In this speculative novel, the climate crisis has become unavoidable. A toxic smog covers much of the world, rendering the cultivation of viable produce nearly impossible. A food shortage has ensued, which is especially problematic for the unnamed narrator, a chef. And so, she applies to become the head chef for a private mountain compound helmed by a tech oligarch. Leaving her barren kitchen behind, the chef is overcome by the fresh ingredients provided by her new employer. But, as she becomes involved with another resident on the mountain, the chef learns the secret behind the sourcing of her beloved produce. Confronted with a moral dilemma, the plot unfurls a bevy of what ifs bound to keep you up at night.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Buckle up for this one. Imagine a future where incarcerated people have the option to join the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program, or CAPE. Participants fight to the death in a series of Battles: America’s new favorite pastime. Stadiums are filled. Corporate sponsorships are bequeathed. Money exchanges hands. With each victory, CAPE participants get closer to securing their freedom. But it isn’t every prisoner for themselves—not quite. Each inmate is a Link in a Chain Gang, a loose team of competitors vying for their way out. But ultimately, there can only be one winner. This National Book Award Finalist is a galloping blockbuster of a debut novel, which asks hard-hitting questions about the profiteers of the U.S. penal system and structural inequities that can trap a person long before they’re behind bars.
White Noise by Don DeLillo
A classic, White Noise won the 1985 National Book Award, though its themes are especially prescient today. The novel follows Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler Studies at a small liberal arts college in an unnamed U.S. town. As Jack and his family are consumed by the material excess that defined the ’80s, he is shaken awake from his daze when an unknown toxic event occurs just outside his town. While evacuating, Jack becomes submerged by an existential crisis, the American Dream floating out of reach.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Room for one more? Maybe. Harris’s debut novel centers on a Black publishing editorial assistant, Nella, who endures workplace microaggressions while pursuing her goal of becoming an editor. Then comes Hazel, finally. The two commiserate over being the sole Black employees of Wagner Books, share beauty tips, and bond over their love for Burning Heart, a novel that greatly impacted them both. Allegedly. Then Nella receives an alarming note, causing her to question the validity of Hazel’s friendship, especially as Hazel flies up the corporate ladder and Nella clings to the bottom rung. But Nella won’t be dissuaded easily and decides to investigate Hazel, resulting in an ending you won’t see coming.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Quickly becoming one of the most anticipated releases for the first half of the year, The Dream Hotel examines the access we grant to technology of our most private thoughts and dreams. Fresh off a plane, Sara is stopped by agents of the Risk Assessment Administration. Its advanced algorithm has identified Sara as a potential risk for criminal activity. To avoid the completion of the crime, Sara needs to be quarantined in a center until the threat has passed. Here she toils in hopes of being released, though the possibility seems increasingly unlikely. Until a new resident arrives. Out in March, be sure to pre-order this one.
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Published in 2014, The Circle draws eerie similarities to the hotly debated surveillance risk posed by current social media platforms. In the novel, Mae Holland has scored a covetable gig working at The Circle, a leading social media and tech conglomerate. Stumbling to find her footing, Mae is urged to “go transparent” and don a portable camera all day, which catapults her popularity on the social platform and within the company. As Mae becomes entrenched with company leadership, she learns about The Circle’s newest technology that’s invasive and, in some cases, dangerous. The only question is what Mae plans to do about it.
Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn
It’s 2050 and the world is on fire. Due to global warming and the climate crisis, the one percent has fled earth, abandoning the rest of the human population. But this doesn’t mean those who remain on the planet, like Ava and her girlfriend, are without hope. Quite the contrary. For one, there’s The Inside Project, an exclusive initiative that offers weather-resistant bunkers to its members. But while the program brims with promise, it’s helmed by an unstable aging girlboss, Jacqueline Millender, who has a fickle affinity for her employees. This queer dystopian novel takes aim at white corporate feminism while deftly handling topics like mental illness with authentic tenderness that leaps from the page. Be sure to pick up the new(ish) sequel, The Shutouts, while you’re at it.
Poster Girl by Veronica Roth
You may recognize Roth’s name from her popular YA series, Divergent. One of the author’s latest forays into adult fiction, Poster Girl, follows Sonya Kantor, a prisoner in Aperture, a jail outside of Seattle where she once was the face of the Delegation. Adhering to strict rules enforced by her Insight—an implant that tracks, rewards or punishes her thoughts and actions—Sonya was once the epitome of an upright citizen. That is, until an uprising swept the city, and she was stuck in Aperture. Now, it’s been 10 years and Sonya is losing hope she’ll ever get out. But with the appearance of a familiar face, Sonya’s luck might be turning around.
