I discovered Machines Like Me, written by Ian McEwan in seventh grade. It was during my last SBMS (Santa Barbara Middle School) trip to Marin, located in the Bay area. It was in a bookshop where I happened upon the book. Generally, I thumb through books and read a few pages. I normally do not get stuck reading standing up in a store, which I did with this one. So I bought it and never took my eyes off it.

Machines Like Me, taking place in London during the 1980s, provides a sci-fi world with the grace of mundane normalities such as dreary weathered days and an existential crises of being in love with your flatmate (Miranda, who holds a terrible secret) above you whose past eludes you completely — all encompassed by the character Charlie Friend who is a former anthropology student and an AI enthusiast. Charlie, unemployed, uses the stock market for income and eventually comes into money, resulting in his purchase of one of the first synthetic humans, Adam (there are two types: Adams and Eves). With Miranda’s help, they craft Adam’s personality. Saying more about the book would spoil the rest.

If it was not already made explicit, I loved it and want to reread it. The first reason I loved it was for the mastery of the writing which far exceeds much of contemporary fiction because of the syntax, grammar, and diction that McEwan employs. The only way I can describe the writing is that it is lean. It is lean in the fact that there are so many rich words without much fluff around them. The writing is straightforward and to the point without slapping the content of the scenes in front of your face. A second reason why I loved it is that McEwan introduced the philosophical question, “[can] a machine understand the human heart, or are we the ones who lack understanding?” He challenges us to reexamine our own understanding of both ourselves and other people. Lastly, since I’m a lover of romance, I loved how beautifully he incorporated it into the story between the three characters which left me with amazement and also sadness at the end for a particular character, Adam, who is my favorite.

So, if you’re an appreciator of immaculate writing, sci-fi with philosophical inquiries entrenched in stories, quirky characters, romance, or simply looking for another entertaining and engaging book to read, I highly recommend adding Machines Like Me to your book collection.