Rent Machines Like Me: A Novel

Synopsis

From Ian McEwan, Booker Prize winner and international bestselling author of Atonement and The Children Act 

"Moving. . . . Masterly . . . provocative." —The New York Times Book Review

"A feat of literary sorcery." —O, The Oprah Magazine

"[A] carefully constructed comedy of terrors. . . . [McEwan is] one of the most elegant writers alive." —The Washington Post

"Witty and humane . . . a cautionary fable about artificial intelligence, consent, and justice." —The New Yorker

Set in an uncanny 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 and dodging full-time employment, 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 generation of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he codesigns Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and smart—and a love triangle soon forms. Ian McEwan's subversive, gripping novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human—our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns against the power to invent things beyond our control.

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