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A review by daniella84
Every Version of You by Grace Chan
3.0
I can see this doing wonderful things for the Australian sci-fi scene, but sadly I didn't love this as much as I was hoping.
Very interesting topics of the Metaverse, capitalism, disability, climate change, and the nature of humanity itself. I just don't think it did quite enough on any one of these topics - the climate was probably the most prominent but I feel it could have engaged with these ideas more. I think it could have done this by having the book be vignettes about characters in different situations - our current protagonist Tao-Yi but also Nivan as someone seeing the digital sphere as a way to escape pain and the limitations of the physical body; someone who gave up everything for a digital life but then realised immortality and Gaia weren't for them; someone too poor to afford the technology; or someone who lives off grid and finds out one day no one is in their small town anymore because they've all gone digital. I think following multiple characters could have breathed more life into this world and gone more in depth on the big - and very relevant - themes that the book covers.
Not to say Tao-Yi's story wasn't interesting, but it did feel like we were being held at a bit of a distance. I didn't really feel invested in her relationship with Nivan, but I did like that the idea of not going digital helped her want to connect more with her family that she never really knew and now never will. It reminded me a bit of [b:The Memory of Animals|62972519|The Memory of Animals|Claire Fuller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667667134l/62972519._SY75_.jpg|97209334] and [b:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|58784475|Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475._SY75_.jpg|89167797] - but like Memory of Animals I wanted it to really GO THERE, and like Tomorrow x3 there wasn't quite the emotional punch I was hoping for.
Would be really interested to see where this author goes from here, and I am glad this book is getting a lot of attention and praise. If nothing else I feel it would be a great conversation starter and is an incredibly prescient warning about what our lives might soon look like.
Very interesting topics of the Metaverse, capitalism, disability, climate change, and the nature of humanity itself. I just don't think it did quite enough on any one of these topics - the climate was probably the most prominent but I feel it could have engaged with these ideas more. I think it could have done this by having the book be vignettes about characters in different situations - our current protagonist Tao-Yi but also Nivan as someone seeing the digital sphere as a way to escape pain and the limitations of the physical body; someone who gave up everything for a digital life but then realised immortality and Gaia weren't for them; someone too poor to afford the technology; or someone who lives off grid and finds out one day no one is in their small town anymore because they've all gone digital. I think following multiple characters could have breathed more life into this world and gone more in depth on the big - and very relevant - themes that the book covers.
Not to say Tao-Yi's story wasn't interesting, but it did feel like we were being held at a bit of a distance. I didn't really feel invested in her relationship with Nivan, but I did like that the idea of not going digital helped her want to connect more with her family that she never really knew and now never will. It reminded me a bit of [b:The Memory of Animals|62972519|The Memory of Animals|Claire Fuller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667667134l/62972519._SY75_.jpg|97209334] and [b:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|58784475|Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475._SY75_.jpg|89167797] - but like Memory of Animals I wanted it to really GO THERE, and like Tomorrow x3 there wasn't quite the emotional punch I was hoping for.
Would be really interested to see where this author goes from here, and I am glad this book is getting a lot of attention and praise. If nothing else I feel it would be a great conversation starter and is an incredibly prescient warning about what our lives might soon look like.