Death is only the beginning.

Zita Chang, Associate Marketing Manager at the Nine Circles, the only theme park devoted to dying, death, and the afterlife, is just another cog in a corporate machine. Determined not to let her grief over her father’s death interfere with work, she takes advantage of an employee perk: asking the Afterlife team to replace Siri with his voice so he can dispense theadvice she never wanted while he was alive.

But when the Executive Director dies under mysterious circumstances weeks before the company’s grand opening, Zita and her coworkers are tasked with programming his reanimated body to keep the launch on schedule. As more colleagues turn up dead, Zita must untangle the mystery in this strange, beautiful celebration of life and death, revolt and redemption.

FRESH AND HIGH-CONCEPT: For fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, Sally Rooney, and Halle Butler, this debut novel satirizes corporate culture, tech fetishism, and our obsession with branding — even in death.
SHARP AND RELATABLE POV: Zita Chang is a witty, overworked millennial trying to survive late capitalism and her own grief. Her voice balances dark humour and tenderness, making her both absurd and deeply human.
GENRE-BENDINGAPPEAL: A darkly comedic whodunnit mixed with equal parts existential absurdism, corporate satire, and emotional depth, We Are Underlings is Sorry to Bother You meets Severance meets Weekend at Bernie’s delivered like a roller coaster.

We Are Underlings

$26.99