Defekt

Defekt is the companion novel to Finna, which I enjoyed, so I was happy to read another story centering this weird and twisty furniture store. While Finna quickly leaves the store behind, entering parallel worlds, Defekt is firmly set at the store and I was excited to discover other absurdities this furniture store has to show us.

When I first met the character Derek in Finna, where we only get a very brief glimpse of him, I can’t say I thought I was ever going to like this character. The more curious I was about reading his very own story though, wondering if that could change. Turns out there is a lot more to Derek than one first thinks, like… a lot a lot.

Finna and Defekt are both very different yet also very much the same. At their core, both stories are about self discovery and self-reflection. Derek’s story was just extra special in that way and very much hitting the spot. I just loved how he learns his own potential, that he sees who he can be if he wants to, that there is a lot more in life for him. Through his clones who are all very different people, very different personalities and also genders, he gets a chance to really explorer his true inner self.

Like Finna, the sheer madcap oddness of Defekt provides a lot of entertainment while the subtext introduces questions of what it means to not fit in with everyone else, finding one’s own identity, and how a group of seemingly powerless entities (for lack of a better word) can stand up to a corporate behemoth.

good, but i think this is where i'll stop with this series. just didn't keep my attention the way i would have liked.

I definitely enjoyed this one more than Finna. While the story itself and the concept of clones and discordant products was interesting, the author's idea of using the clones to talk about the grind of capitalism and how it completely destroys our independent thoughts and desires and any autonomy we feel, was excellent. This novella had humor, heart, an emotional depth and an eclectic cast of characters who were so much fun to follow. The ending was particularly hilarious and hopeful and I thought it was just such a perfect conclusion.