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sundazebookcafe 's review for:
Every Version of You
by Grace Chan
adventurous
dark
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
Thanks VERVE Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy!
It’s 2048 and Tao-Yi and her partner Navin are dividing their time between real-life and an immersive, consumerism-first virtual reality utopia called Gaia. While their real, ageing bodies are suspended in cramped apartments, amongst a crumbling society and end-stage climate crisis, they log on, work, socialise and frolic in Gaia. The story revolves around Tao-Yi as she navigates a new technology – the ability to permanently upload a human brain to Gaia. Will she remain with her mother, who is resolutely offline and tackling health problems? Or will she embrace a digital future?
I am a big fan of speculative sci-fi that entwines with dystopia, and this one has plenty of that. As an elder millennial, I enjoyed the conversation of feeling torn between an authentic past away from screens, which cannot be returned to, and embracing a new, digital future. Oh, and I always love when I spot mentions of Ipoh – Dad’s hometown! – in books, since I have endless happy memories there. It turns out: Tao-Yi and her mother are from Ipoh! This opened up some lovely explorations of identity paralysis and the sense of home. Sadly, the book otherwise fell flat in a few areas for me: while, yes, there were many great topics included in Every Version of You, it didn’t go deep enough into any of them. Some ideas were introduced only to never be alluded to ever again, and others just didn’t fully hit the mark for me. I liked the exploration of human autonomy and being caught between capitalism and morals, as well as the debate on mortality and having control over your body when it came to health problems. Plus, as we step deeper into the AI revolution, I enjoyed the exploration of relationships in the age of AI and what is seen as normal or nostalgic. Yet, overall it could’ve been nice to have a fuller focus on at least one or two ideas.
It’s 2048 and Tao-Yi and her partner Navin are dividing their time between real-life and an immersive, consumerism-first virtual reality utopia called Gaia. While their real, ageing bodies are suspended in cramped apartments, amongst a crumbling society and end-stage climate crisis, they log on, work, socialise and frolic in Gaia. The story revolves around Tao-Yi as she navigates a new technology – the ability to permanently upload a human brain to Gaia. Will she remain with her mother, who is resolutely offline and tackling health problems? Or will she embrace a digital future?
I am a big fan of speculative sci-fi that entwines with dystopia, and this one has plenty of that. As an elder millennial, I enjoyed the conversation of feeling torn between an authentic past away from screens, which cannot be returned to, and embracing a new, digital future. Oh, and I always love when I spot mentions of Ipoh – Dad’s hometown! – in books, since I have endless happy memories there. It turns out: Tao-Yi and her mother are from Ipoh! This opened up some lovely explorations of identity paralysis and the sense of home. Sadly, the book otherwise fell flat in a few areas for me: while, yes, there were many great topics included in Every Version of You, it didn’t go deep enough into any of them. Some ideas were introduced only to never be alluded to ever again, and others just didn’t fully hit the mark for me. I liked the exploration of human autonomy and being caught between capitalism and morals, as well as the debate on mortality and having control over your body when it came to health problems. Plus, as we step deeper into the AI revolution, I enjoyed the exploration of relationships in the age of AI and what is seen as normal or nostalgic. Yet, overall it could’ve been nice to have a fuller focus on at least one or two ideas.