In a world with countless teeth-chattering, dystopian, post-apocalyptic thrillers, Ling Ma bravely asks - 'But what if you just kept going to work like nothing was wrong?'

This is the setup of Ma's debut novel Severance, which follows detached millennial Candace Chen during her final days in New York. Oscillating between the 'present' end of the world and Candace's 'past' memories, this dual story line meanders in such a way that adeptly allows the severity of Shen Fever to creep into full view. I can also vouch that it accurately depicts the disillusionment with working in Manhattan in your early 20's (the commute alone is a horror).

The only reason I do not rate this higher is that while I am thoroughly horrified of what Shen Fever does to people (on various levels), by the final page I still do not fully understand what it is. To further complicate things, this novel feels like it is trying to be too many things in too short a book. At times it's an office comedy, at others it's an anti-coming of age story, and sometimes it really is a dystopian horror, while at others it's maybe a psychological thriller?

Even if disjointed at times, there are still plenty of good elements to make for an enjoyable read. Ling Ma wrote a good book, and I look forward to reading more as she grows and sharpens her perspective.