Published By: Macmillan
Pages: 400
Released On: 09/05/2024
Some families are virtually perfect . . .
The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them.
But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality tv show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This is my first book of John Marrs’, although I have heard of some of the others, so I’ll be interested to read them. This book is set in the same universe as a couple of his others (The One, and The Marriage Act) and so I’m sure if you’ve read them that you would get something else out of reading this one. But going in blind, I never felt at a disadvantage. Sure, there are things alluded to, but it doesn’t stop any enjoyment of reading this book first-time round.
It’s like ‘Big Brother’ on steroids. There’s shocks and surprises round every corner, most of which I could never have predicted. It’s so fast paced but never feels rushed; it gives us time to get to know everyone and get involved in the story, but never feels slow or stilted.
All the dialogue felt natural. If I’m honest, most books, even by well-known experienced authors, have at least one line of quite unbelievable dialogue, but I couldn’t find any in this. It feels so real. All of it does. There’s this bereft feeling the reader gets when you end it that’s similar to that felt of the characters.
What’s becoming scary is these futuristic fictional sci-fi topics are becoming more and more feasible in the real world. I hope we never get to the stage it is in this book, but it does give you food for thought. Is there anything we aren’t willing to monetise or put on social media or the telly, if it means money or success?
It is so addictive; I read it in one sitting. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s sad but uplifting, scary but comforting, unique but familiar, bold but quiet. It’s everything it could be. Like the characters, you start growing attached to the children like they’re real, you become part of the simulation, and that’s when the fear of AI becomes real.
There are quite a number of characters – too many to get into here; it flits from one couple to the next and so on and back and forth. This could have been really complicated and confusing and jarring, but it works really well. You’re immediately invested in whatever character you’re currently reading about. Everyone is different enough to be interesting, but similar enough to flow together well.
It is not without its difficult topics: miscarriage, child loss, bereavement, death, drug abuse, abduction, trafficking, mental illness, affairs, financial issues, debt, and of course, the ethical problems raised by AI children – are they ”real’? Should they be given the same rights as humans?
It is a psychological thriller, yes. I found it more moving than I expected it to be. Thrillers generally don’t make me sad, they make me thrilled…but this was really quite moving and I felt a lump in my throat on a number of occasions. This is definitely a recommended read.
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