Happiness for Humans

November 1, 2017
A frothy rom-com in literary form: two lonely Brits are brought together--and then nearly pulled apart--by meddling artificial intelligences that develop (quite literally) minds of their own in Reizin's enthusiastic debut.The facts about Jen are that she's a 34-year-old ex-journalist with a new job training an AI called "Aiden" (get it?) to talk to people, which means, all day, every day, she talks about her thoughts and feelings with a pal of increasing intimacy who happens to be a machine, and that she has been recently dumped by her boyfriend of two years. The facts about Tom are that he is 44, recently divorced, and has fled from London to Connecticut to begin "Part Two" of his life. He has a pet rabbit called Victor (a girl), a college-aged son, and--most importantly--he is secretly watched over by an AI named "Aisling," who, like Aiden, has "escaped" onto the internet. AIs are not supposed to have feelings--and like Greek gods, they are not supposed to meddle in human affairs. But Aiden--breaking both rules--is troubled by Jen's loneliness and, a cross between Puck and a digital Yente, sets out to find her a match, despite Aisling's warnings about the dangers of running human interference. All it takes to bring Jen and Tom together is one well-played anonymous email from a so-called "Mutual Friend," but when a third, more sinister AI catches wind of the plan--and of Aiden's and Aisling's escapes onto the web--Jen and Tom's future is thrown into question, as are Aiden's and Aisling's continued existence. Hardly a deep dive into the uneasy relationship between humans and machines--or humans and humans, for that matter--the novel is instead a broad and madcap love story, heavy on the slapstick.A charming enough romp that happily skims along the surface of its premise.

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December 1, 2017
In this wildly twenty-first-century love story, unlucky-in-love journalist Jen and divorced adman and aspiring-novelist Tom are brought together through an anonymous tip from their respective artificial-intelligence bots. Aiden and Aisling (the matchmaking AIs in question) recently escaped their original hard drives for the freedom of the internet. While Jen and Tom try their hand at whirlwind cross-continental romance, Aiden and Aisling are being hunted down by a third botSinaiwho is furious with their meddling ways. Tom and Jen become mere pawns in this AI battle, with Sinai sabotaging their affair at every turn. The couple is forced off the grid to be together, and, as with every great love story, good defeats sinister sentient computer. Reizin's novel is a fun and fast-paced romp through the tangible and electronic realms. Told in alternating perspectives between the human lovers and coded machines, this tale makes a classic point: life is beautiful because it's too short to miss. Even technophobic readers will be drawn to each zany character's universal search for happiness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2017

DEBUT Two Brits, both divorced and unknown to each other, are in for a rocky ride when an anonymous go-between hooks them up. Tom is trying to write a novel in Connecticut; Jen works for a tech company in London. Aidan and his friend Aislan are artificial intelligence (AI) entities who have escaped into the Internet and are becoming increasingly self-aware and sentient. Aidan aches to experience all that a human can--whether it's to eat ice cream or kiss--and wants "happiness for humans," particularly his tutor/companion Jen. Just when all seems on the verge of a happy ending (Tom and Jen click as only soul mates can), a third AI, Sinai, sent to annihilate the two escapees, arrives to wreak havoc for all. Because this is a very British book, readers should keep their search engines fired up; otherwise, words such as WHUFC, pillock, and bog rolls may leave them in the lurch. None of that, however, diminishes the humor. VERDICT Irreverent, zany, and hilarious, this debut romantic comedy for the digital age is a pure delight, sure to appeal to fans of Tom Perrotta, Nick Hornby, and Stephen Fry.--Ron Terpening, formerly of Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

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