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We Are Underlings: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26A provocative black comedy of mystery, hijinks, and absurdist despair set at the only theme park devoted to death, dying, and the afterlife
Zita Chang’s job—marketing death for the twenty-first century—is just like everyone else’s entry-level position in a corporate machine. While she’s grinding away, she’s determined not to let her grief over the death of her father interfere with her work. But being a Nine Circles employee comes with she can ask the Afterlife team to replace Siri with her dead dad’s voice so that he can give her the advice she never wanted when he was alive.
Just when Zita feels the drudgery can’t get any worse, the Nine Circles calls an emergency meeting nine weeks before the park’s grand opening to drop a shocking not only has their executive director died under mysterious circumstances, but Zita and her coworkers are charged with programming his reanimated body to keep the launch on schedule. Can Zita pull this off? Why have a few other colleagues recently dropped dead too? And couldn’t this meeting have been an email?
Zita Chang’s job—marketing death for the twenty-first century—is just like everyone else’s entry-level position in a corporate machine. While she’s grinding away, she’s determined not to let her grief over the death of her father interfere with her work. But being a Nine Circles employee comes with she can ask the Afterlife team to replace Siri with her dead dad’s voice so that he can give her the advice she never wanted when he was alive.
Just when Zita feels the drudgery can’t get any worse, the Nine Circles calls an emergency meeting nine weeks before the park’s grand opening to drop a shocking not only has their executive director died under mysterious circumstances, but Zita and her coworkers are charged with programming his reanimated body to keep the launch on schedule. Can Zita pull this off? Why have a few other colleagues recently dropped dead too? And couldn’t this meeting have been an email?
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
27 people want to read
About the author
Doretta Lau
11 books40 followersDoretta Lau is a journalist who covers arts and culture for Artforum International, South China Morning Post, The Wall Street Journal Asia, and LEAP. She completed an MFA in Writing at Columbia University. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Day One, Event, Grain Magazine, Prairie Fire, PRISM International, Ricepaper, sub-TERRAIN, and Zen Monster. She splits her time between Vancouver and Hong Kong, where she is at work on a novel and a screenplay. In 2013, she was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada / McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun? (Nightwood Editions, 2014) is her debut short story collection.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This book is dark, unsettling, and honestly a little unhinged—in a way that’s both fascinating and hard to look away from.
I do have to start with the formatting because it did affect my reading experience. There were sections where the spacing was off and some parts ran together, which pulled me out of the story more than once. It was frustrating, especially with a book that already asks a lot from the reader.
That said… the concept? Wild.
We’re following Zita Chang, who works as an associate marketing manager at an amusement park built around death and mortality. And I don’t mean that lightly—this place leans all the way in. We’re talking exhibits centered on workplace deaths, historical tragedies, serial crimes… even the idea of turning those moments into experiences. It’s morbid, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s very intentional.
What really worked for me was the way this book leans into that discomfort. Zita is stuck in this moral gray area, fully aware that what she’s part of feels wrong, but also unsure how—or if—she can step away from it. Watching that internal push and pull was one of the strongest parts of the story.
And her inner dialogue? Honestly one of my favorite things. It’s sharp, a little inappropriate at times, and unexpectedly funny in a way that balances out just how heavy the subject matter is.
I will say—the cast is large. There are a lot of names, a lot of roles, and it can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of everyone. But with the index at the beginning, it feels intentional, like the story is meant to reflect something bigger and more complex than just one perspective.
One line that really stuck with me was:
“I’m going to stop letting life happen to me. I’m going to happen to life.”
That moment just… hit.
It’s not an easy read, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but it is unique, thought-provoking, and bold in the way it approaches its themes. If you like darker, more experimental stories that lean into discomfort and moral ambiguity, this one is worth checking out.
I do have to start with the formatting because it did affect my reading experience. There were sections where the spacing was off and some parts ran together, which pulled me out of the story more than once. It was frustrating, especially with a book that already asks a lot from the reader.
That said… the concept? Wild.
We’re following Zita Chang, who works as an associate marketing manager at an amusement park built around death and mortality. And I don’t mean that lightly—this place leans all the way in. We’re talking exhibits centered on workplace deaths, historical tragedies, serial crimes… even the idea of turning those moments into experiences. It’s morbid, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s very intentional.
What really worked for me was the way this book leans into that discomfort. Zita is stuck in this moral gray area, fully aware that what she’s part of feels wrong, but also unsure how—or if—she can step away from it. Watching that internal push and pull was one of the strongest parts of the story.
And her inner dialogue? Honestly one of my favorite things. It’s sharp, a little inappropriate at times, and unexpectedly funny in a way that balances out just how heavy the subject matter is.
I will say—the cast is large. There are a lot of names, a lot of roles, and it can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of everyone. But with the index at the beginning, it feels intentional, like the story is meant to reflect something bigger and more complex than just one perspective.
One line that really stuck with me was:
“I’m going to stop letting life happen to me. I’m going to happen to life.”
That moment just… hit.
It’s not an easy read, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but it is unique, thought-provoking, and bold in the way it approaches its themes. If you like darker, more experimental stories that lean into discomfort and moral ambiguity, this one is worth checking out.
Displaying 1 of 1 review