I Hope This Finds You Well

I Hope This Finds You Well is set primarily within a modern office, more or less contemporary with the novel’s 2024 publication. Rather than demonstrating the latest trends in office culture or design, however, the company where Jolene works is described as being a few years behind the times. This sets the stage for an exploration of the many roles, tropes, and norms associated with office work in the 2000s to 2010s.

Many of the characters are defined and characterized largely by their roles in the office, including some stereotypes that are then tested. Jolene and her associates work in accounting, and their work seems to consist of preparing detailed reports. As she nears retirement age, Rhonda demonstrates the way that generation gaps can affect interactions with technology. Gregory, meanwhile, demonstrates many of the negative qualities typically associated with bosses, such as rampant egotism. Larry, for his part, fits the stereotype of the insecure employee who is eventually fired, while Cliff fills the role of a human resources analyst, although he also makes some unexpected departures from the stereotype.

Matters of time and space are also dealt with in businesslike terms throughout the text. Jolene and her coworkers each have cubicles that offer only partial privacy, while Gregory, as boss, has a private room.