The Transcriptionist
Published in 2014 by Algonquin Books
Once, there were many transcriptionists at the Record, a behemoth New York City newspaper, but new technology has put most of them out of work. So now Lena, the last transcriptionist, sits alone in a room--a human conduit, silently turning reporters’ recorded stories into print--until the day she encounters a story so shocking that it shatters the reverie that has become her life.
Available To Order:
“The Transcriptionist holds many pleasures . . . [and] can be read through many lenses . . . Rowland plays with the notions of truth and reliability . . . It is the responsibility of a journalist to report the truth, but what if—Rowland asks—objective reality is a fiction? . . . Sharp and affecting”
Praise for The Transcriptionist
“A haunting and provocative novel about the mysteries of life and a death, the written word, things seen and unseen, heard and forgotten. Amy Rowland’s writing is compelling and masterful.”
“Funny, sad, perceptive and soulful . . . Rowland’s writing is spare but evocative . . . The plot itself—Lena’s obsession with a blind woman who has committed suicide at the Bronx Zoo by throwing herself to the lions—seems almost incidental. It mostly serves as the vessel, a perfectly good one, for what is really going on here: Rowland’s exploration of profound subjects and her consistently engaging writing.””
“A strange, mesmerizing novel about language, isolation, ethics, technology, and the lack of trust between institutions and the people they purportedly serve . . . A fine debut novel about the decline of newspapers and the subsequent loss of humanity—and yes, these are related.”
“Unforgettable. Written with such delight, compassion, and humanity, it’s newsworthy.”
“Rowland’s farcical approach . . . is balanced by the novel’s realistic insights into journalistic integrity, the evolution of contemporary newspaper publishing, and, more broadly, the importance of genuine communication.”