Review: “The Factory”

OK, y’all … This is a strange one. I’m not even sure how to classify “The Factory” by Hiroko Oyamada. I think I will be perpetually confused by this book. I see a lot of folks describe this as Kafka-esque. Maybe that means something to y’all.

Oyamada gives us a peek inside this vague factory as we follow three new employees and share their experience. As the story progresses – and I use that word with the loosest of meanings – the work these new employees are tasked with becomes more meaningless, the workers become less human and the lines of reality become more blurry.

I’m sure “The Factory” is a commentary or an allegory for the modern corporate machine … but it’s too abstract a tale for me to surmise what exactly the message is supposed to be. Maybe I’m not as smart as I think I am.

Seriously, I can’t even give a good summary of the plot because my first thought when I finished “The Factory” was “What the hell did I just read?!” I felt like I was back in lit class with no idea what the professor was talking about. Every instance of symbolism or imagery I tried to seize on felt forced or like I was reaching for meaning. Maybe that was the point. I don’t know.

There were some gems buried in the murky muck, like some great language and phrases. But they were not enough to save this book for me.

And the format drove me INSANE! Long blocks of text, quickly shifting narratives with no attempt to make smooth transitions. Maybe that was all intentional, but it made it incredibly difficult to follow along. A book that should have taken me two or three hours to read took me DAYS because the format was so maddening.

Look, I’m sure there are folks who LOVE this book. I’m just not one of them. I appreciate what I think Oyamada was trying to do, but it’s still a miss for me. The good news is, “The Factory” satisfies the “a non-European novel in translation” criteria on the 2021 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.

I would suggest only picking this book up if you enjoy being confused and frustrated constantly.

2 out of 5 stars