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Natalie Sue
Natalie Sue is the author of the office comedy I Hope This Finds You Well. She writes fiction that explores the frustrations and humor of modern workplace life.
I Hope This Finds You Well
Synopsis
I Hope This Finds You Well is the acclaimed 2024 debut novel by Natalie Sue, a workplace comedy-drama about isolation, anxiety, and the surprising intimacy of the people in the next cubicle. Prickly, private Jolene hides cutting remarks in invisible white font in her emails, until a glitch gives her access to her coworkers' inboxes and everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel.
Set in a mundane corporate office, the novel balances sharp humour with a tender exploration of grief, loneliness, and the defenses people build to avoid being hurt. As Jolene is drawn into her colleagues' hidden lives, she's forced to reckon with her own past and the connection she keeps at arm's length.
Winner of the 2025 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, it's a standout for fans of character-driven, funny-sad fiction in the vein of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Genres
Characters
Jolene SmithProtagonist
A guarded administrative technician who vents her frustrations through cutting remarks hidden in invisible white email font, until an IT error gives her access to her coworkers' private inboxes.
Caitlin JoffreyAntagonist
Jolene's polished office rival, whose secret is an abusive relationship with her fiance Kyle.
Cliff RedmondSupporting
The newly arrived HR analyst who leads Jolene's sensitivity training and becomes the person she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to.
Rhonda StaplesSupporting
An older coworker nearing retirement who masks fears about her job security and worry over her son's addiction behind office cheerleading.
Armin HabibSupporting
A first-generation Canadian Iranian coworker under family pressure, who asks Jolene to pose as his fiancée for his ailing mother's sake.
Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction (2025)Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour (2025)
Frequently asked questions
What awards has I Hope This Finds You Well won?
The novel won the 2025 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and the 2025 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction (Alberta Literary Awards), and was a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award.