"Severance" combines office satire with the apocalypse

Those of you who read fiction to escape reality — and for whom reality is a deadly dull job — will react to Severance one of two ways.

You might laugh knowingly at the novel’s fatal disease that forces sufferers to perform repetitive tasks until they drop dead.

Or you might find the sarcasm hitting a little too close to home.

If you count yourself in the former group, you’ll want to check out this All Things Considered interview with Severance’s author, Ling Ma, who herself went through a tedious office job (that ultimately ended in a layoff).

You can also read the highlights on NPR’s website.