Machines Like Me - Ian McEwan

 

Old-school Ian McEwan beats 2019 Ian McEwan hands down. Next time he writes a sci-fi book, perhaps he could invent a time machine that reminds him of what a good storyteller he was (and most likely can still be). 

This love triangle between two humans and a machine felt as emotionally void as a Tamagotchi's request for affection, which I do realize might have been the whole point, but for me it makes for very uninspiring reading. 

Then again, I was never going to be sold on a book like this, as I can't recollect a single novel with human-like androids/machines/robots that I actually, honestly and thoroughly enjoyed (Never Let Me Go was the one that I appreciated the most, but even there saying that I really liked it would be a bit of a stretch).

Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

  

Just because one wrote Never Let Me Go one doesn't necessarily need to write something that often reads like its rip-off. 

I guess dystopian novels sell, in particular in the current climate. And I guess once you win a Nobel prize you can pretty much do whatever you want. But in this case I'll do what I want too, and openly declare that I found Klara and the Sun to be as cold as its titular character, and I felt as detached from the plot and its twists as the Artificial Friend is detached from the reality around her (I wanted to like the novel, and Klara wants to understand and be part of the human world, but neither of us could).