This is such a weird book. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like it. I just don’t know quite what to say about it. The basic premise is that a young woman, the unnamed narrator, falls in love with a printer. She works in an office and the printer is located in that office. She works mostly alone, talking aloud to the printer, telling it her own history. She has to pick up a package that’s been delivered to the wrong place but she can’t figure out where that place is. Eventually, she’s placed on live because her boss is, rightfully, concerned about her. This is, of course, terrible for her because it means separation from the printer. And it turns out, the printer’s unhappy about it too.
I plucked this off the New Book display at my local library and brought home because it a) sounded delightfully unhinged and b) it’s a translated work and I thought I could read it to increase my total. I don’t want to say that all books translated into English from other languages are really weird but a large percentage of the ones I seem to pick up are really weird. This book is translated from the Dutch and I don’t think I’ve read a book translated from Dutch before.
There’s a very Kafka-esque feeling to parts of Hard Copy, particularly her search for the missing package. There’s a sense that all of these problems will go on forever that reminds me The Castle. Interspersed with the present day events is an unfolding story of this young woman’s past. And as we realize what has happened to her as a child, we realize why she is the way she is now. And even why this printer might matter so much.
I don’t know that I can wholeheartedly recommend this book but if it sounds at all intriguing to you, I do think it’s worth reading.
Karissa Reads Books 
Sounds a little bit like Sky Daddy by Kate Folk, about a woman who falls in love with a plane—I haven’t read that either but it seems to have the same sort of tone!
Oh yeah, that does seem a little bit similar. That one looks like maybe it’s played off as more humourous? This one could have been funny but the author really didn’t take it in that direction at all.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book translated from Dutch either…
This does sound very quirky and weird. Not all translated books that I read are weird actually, books that are Canadian and translated from the Quebec French tend to read very similar to our other Canadian literature. European stuff though, yah that can get weird haha
I feel like I’ve read some weird French Canadian stuff! Though maybe weirder in how it plays with voice and form than in the actual content.
I read a translated book in which the main character would go to his office job and stare at this one wall. He thought there was a room there, but there wasn’t. Eventually, loads of people were staring. I bizarrely enjoyed this.
That it sounds like it’s playing off the idea that if you stare up at the sky, others around you will start staring at it too.