Cover of “The You You Are”
Apple TV+ hit drama “Severance” has pulled another elaborate stunt with the partial release of the book, “The You You Are,” as featured and taken far too seriously in the show.
It’s had Tim Cook deciding to quit Apple for Lumon Industries, it’s had a pop-up set at Grand Central Terminal. It’s had a free tell-all book, and the “Severance” company has also had — and continues to maintain — a deeply disturbing page on LinkedIn.
That LinkedIn page is on the latest stunt, too, with a post of “utmost concern” about how chapters of Dr Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD’s book has been released. “The You You Are” is a profound book — or at least it is shown to be that in the drama.
What’s purportedly happened is that the release of the good doctor’s guide to revolt has been delayed. But through some means or other, he’s got Apple Books to distribute a copy of the first few chapters — and an audiobook version, too. The audiobook is chiefly narrated by the author, and holds right on the line between totally believable self-help advice and absurdist humor.
There is one chapter that is not written and read by the author, though. Instead, it’s a short but telling final chapter by “Severance” creator and co-showrunner Dan Erickson.
“We hope you enjoyed this excerpt of ‘The You You Are,'” he says, “a book that plays a key role in the show.”
As you scrounge the text looking for clues to the show’s story, be calmed by Dr Ricken, as he asks who you are.
“I’m not asking out of mere politeness for you,” he says. “For you, my friend, are no mere consumer of this book, sucking down nouns and adverbs like a plump babe.”
It’s a slow burn joke, a weirdly mesmerizing book that you can imagine being used when waterboarding has failed. It’s also, though, an hour-long audio book and a 39-page volume.
This took effort, time and money, and apart from a trailer for the book on YouTube, Apple is letting it sit there, waiting to be discovered. And while the front cover has a section saying it’s to do with “Severance” on Apple TV+, that section looks like a sticker, almost like it could have been put there by a book group.
And curiously, Apple has done one more thing. You can’t find this tome if all you search the Apple Books store for is the word “Severance.”
In some ways that’s good, since as unlikely as it seems, there could be people who believe the book is real. Just look at how the “Severance” characters are into it.
But then presumably the only people who would search on the word “Severance,” are people who know what it is.
Listen to the audiobook version. It’s obviously got the same off-balance humor as the ebook one, but there is something crazily sleep-inducing as you hear more and more.
Separately, there is real “Severance” merchandise There’s the Blu-ray release of the whole first season.
