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A review by inquisitrix
Autonomy by Victoria Hetherington
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Like most of the best stories about artificial intelligence, Autonomy is really about what it means to be a person. Like many of the best science fiction novels with literary leanings, it uses a future setting and circumstances to explore the human condition in the time of its writing, extrapolating possibility from how we live now. And reading it now, during a global pandemic--something that features prominently during the novel's later sections--Hetherington's extrapolations feel eerily probable.
While in places I found the story occasionally lost its propulsive thread, getting bogged down in the minutiae of complicated relationships between its complex array of characters, it nevertheless held my interest through its evocative writing and believable situations. I have a weakness for slice-of-life stories set in extreme circumstances, and Hetherington's gentle hand when describing even the darkest moments in the book--which really gets quite dark--creates that certain feeling of coziness even in the face of disaster. That dissonance between emotional affect and apocalyptic impact creates a tension that results in a mostly-riveting read.
This is an unexpectedly quiet, interior story, and one that bears careful--and possibly repeated--reading. I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories that take place in the dreamworld that lies between genres, and anyone who fears the future and needs a breath of hope that some spark of human kindness can prevail.
I received a free e-ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.
While in places I found the story occasionally lost its propulsive thread, getting bogged down in the minutiae of complicated relationships between its complex array of characters, it nevertheless held my interest through its evocative writing and believable situations. I have a weakness for slice-of-life stories set in extreme circumstances, and Hetherington's gentle hand when describing even the darkest moments in the book--which really gets quite dark--creates that certain feeling of coziness even in the face of disaster. That dissonance between emotional affect and apocalyptic impact creates a tension that results in a mostly-riveting read.
This is an unexpectedly quiet, interior story, and one that bears careful--and possibly repeated--reading. I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories that take place in the dreamworld that lies between genres, and anyone who fears the future and needs a breath of hope that some spark of human kindness can prevail.
I received a free e-ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.