Certainly well-written, but I regard this as a philosophy textbook in the guise of a novel. A bit concerned about some of the exuberant comparisons reviewers have made to, say, Voltaire; perhaps Ward has an extracurricular reputation I don't know about that led reviewers to see more in the work than I could? ( )

I'm not philosopher. I'm aware of thought experiments, but that's about my limit. Each chapter in this book is prefaced by a different thought experiment and the chapter that follows is sort of related to that experiment. Initially I thought that they were unrelated short stories, but gradually you see that they are related. It's a play with the nature of memory and relationships. It also deals with humanity's relationship with artificial intelligence and where that might take us and our planet. Intriguing, but a bit odd ( )

i really liked this but also it was too smart for me. i don't know enough about philosophy - although the paragraph introduction to each chapter really was generally enough, or close to it - to truly dive in. but it made me think that it was kind of fun, to do these thought experiments about what things might look like or how they might change (or not change) based on interpretation or these ideas that philosophers came up with. kind of cool. so each of these chapters is a thought experiments that addresses a character or incident in the lives of the people central to the 2 women thinking of the thought experiments. what is reality? what is just a story spun out in our heads?

this was super interesting. i think i'll like it more and more the more i think about it. for sure i think it's pretty brilliant and well done, just maybe somewhat over my head.

"She had become the sort of person she approved of but she wasn't sure she had chosen anything she actually wanted."

i loved this, as eliza is dealing with rachel's impending death:
"'But I don't want to live with a ghost,' Eliza said, 'I want Rachel.'
Dr Marshall didn't hesitate. 'Rachel is there now. Are you?'"

"Elizabeth had never appreciated the need for secrets and she considered people who insisted on privacy to be morally dubious."

"You do not make escape plans from al life the does not need them." ( )

The structure of this book really interested me. It told the story in a very unexpected way, and I definitely liked that aspect of it. It was not really a twist, but more of a perspective shift.

Each chapter starts off with a thought experiment or philosophical tidbit, and I presume the chapter is supposed to reflect it in some way. I tried hard to tie the lead-in to the chapter with the chapter content, and most of the time, I really didn't "see" it. Not sure if that's a failing of my intellect or a failure of the author. Nonetheless, I thought the concept was very creative, and I enjoyed trying to make the connections.

This book felt like literary fiction, but it had a science fiction overlay, and that bending of genre was very thought provoking. Normally, I'm not a fan of magic being injected into my fiction reads, but this felt more philosophical to me than fantastical.

Personally, I wish I had read this book in a classroom setting or with a book club because it feels like a detailed analysis would be worthwhile. All in all, this type of book is what I expect from one nominated for the Booker . . .intellectually challenging, innovative, yet still insightful into the human condition. ( )

3.5 rounded up to 4, really

An interesting premise. I like the way the stories intertwine and how they end up all coming together in the end, how the story becomes something bigger than itself yet somehow so contained. Sometimes the language was a bit difficult to get through, but the concept is great. Really, it's only fault was the often difficult writing.

However if you're interested in though experiments and how they work, and seeing applications of them, it's a pretty good read. ( )