When reading a sequel I’m always drawn to comparing it to its predecessor. I hate to see books dip in quality, but there’s nothing better than seeing a book go above and beyond what came before it. I’m happy to say that Defekt was an absolute powerhouse of a novella and exceeded my expectations.

Defekt is the standalone companion novella to Nino Cipri's Finna. Both stories take place in the suspiciously Ikea-esque big box store LitenVärld where overtime goes unpaid and coworkers may get eaten by the furniture. In Defekt we follow Derek, LitenVärld’s number one employee and a man slavishly dedicated to the job. Derek is forced on the dreaded nightshift where he and a gaggle of his own clones hunt down murderous defective furniture.

The story’s biggest strength is its protagonist Derek. The book’s slow start establishes him as someone desperate for connection and crushed by seemingly inescapable loneliness. I instantly connected to him because of that. There was something deeply relatable in seeing someone isolated and longing for connection and understanding. My connection to Derek made seeing him find a family in the crew of defective clones all the more heartwarming. Seeing him thrive in a space where he’s valued and appreciated melted me. Especially after seeing the way the world forced him to contort himself for the sake of being appealing to others beforehand.

The found family dynamic between Derek and the clones was phenomenal. Each clone reflected bits and pieces of Derek but stood out as uniquely individual. Darkness, Delilah, and Dex worked seamlessly as a unit and protected each other fiercely. Seeing them bring Derek into the fold and how cleanly he slotted into their dynamic was wonderful. Their unwavering acceptance of the quirks LitenVärld tried to erase from him was tender and beautiful. Plus the romance between Darkness and Derek was a wonderful layer of ooey-gooeyness on top.

The novella's horror elements perfectly weaved into the story. I’m not usually a fan of horror because I hate the feeling of dread, discomfort, and disgust the genre relishes. But I recognize how well Cipri built that atmosphere in Defekt. Cipri effetely utilizes body horror to convey the inherent wrongness of the ways Derek was forced to compress himself to fit normative standards of acceptability. They perfectly capture the horror of minimum wage jobs. From the endless bureaucracy, the casual discarding of employees, and the willingness to enact violence for the sake of profit Cipri's depiction of LitenVärld was most chilling in its accuracy and the horrifying effects those values have on people.

Defekt is a tour de force. Cipri perfectly blends unsettling horror, sci-fi adventure, and a heartfelt found family. It resonated we me on every level and gave me the emotional catharsis I adore in a reading experience. If Nino Cipri keeps putting out books like this they will easily become a favourite author of mine.