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Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan - 4 stars - My Review

What if Alan Turing had lived and contributed to technology advances that enabled the internet, mobile phones, and artificial intelligence to flourish in the 1980s?

Protagonist Charlie Friend uses an inheritance to buy an artificial human named Adam. He asks Miranda, his upstairs neighbor and prospective girlfriend, to help program Adam by selecting a number of options that determine his personality. Miranda is harboring a secret, which Adam discerns, and in revealing this secret, Adam unleashes unintended consequences. The twenty-five existing androids start experiencing depression and self-destructive tendencies. The narrative combines elements of love, betrayal, revenge, justice, and jealousy.

Adam must interpret human actions and motivations and respond to them. This response is not always what humans consider appropriate and forms a major part of the dramatic tension. There are a number of simultaneous plotlines and intellectual discussions. It is filled with literary references. I enjoyed the humor that Adam introduces with his haikus. I found it a creative mix of alternate history, science fiction, love triangle, and social commentary.

I was very interested in the premise of this story when the book first came out then it got pretty mediocre reviews so I never did pick it up.... maybe I will give it a chance.

Meli wrote: "I was very interested in the premise of this story when the book first came out then it got pretty mediocre reviews so I never did pick it up.... maybe I will give it a chance."
Yes, I am puzzled as to why the reviews weren't better. I really enjoyed it. I would be interested to see what you think of it.