Machines Like Me
A gripping novel in which synthetic humans have become reality and quickly complicate matters of identity, life, and love: Machines Like Me is pure page-turning, thought-provoking Ian McEwan.
Set in an alternative 1982 London—where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power, and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence—Machines Like Me powerfully portrays two lovers who will be tested beyond their understanding. Charlie, drifting through life, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he co-designs Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and clever—and a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will soon confront a profound moral dilemma. Ian McEwan's subversive, entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human? Could a machine understand the human heart? Do we want the power to invent things beyond our control?
Set in an alternative 1982 London—where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power, and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence—Machines Like Me powerfully portrays two lovers who will be tested beyond their understanding. Charlie, drifting through life, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he co-designs Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and clever—and a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will soon confront a profound moral dilemma. Ian McEwan's subversive, entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human? Could a machine understand the human heart? Do we want the power to invent things beyond our control?
