Artificial intelligence is one of those tropes that's been around since the dawn of the modern age.
These days, with programs monitoring our spending habits, internet browsing histories and more, it doesn't seem like such a wild idea.
What Louisa Hall does here is to link the idea of artificial intelligence with the idea of connection.
The core of the novel is an artificial intelligence called MARY3, a child-minder robot which has been outlawed and recalled by authorities.
It is now slowly losing power in a warehouse full of its kind which have been deemed to cause over-attachment.
From there, we read of the stories of people whose lives contributed to the creation of this AI; Alan Turing in the 1950s trying to avoid a conviction for homosexuality; Mary Bradford, a 17th century girl who is travelling to the New World; and Stephen Chinn, a genius programmer in the 21st century who creates MARY3, whose own personal life is falling to pieces.
The novel is told in a non-linear style, jumping from one period to another.
This can be confusing at times, but the novel is worth the work.
All of the characters are in some way struggling to make themselves heard in societies that have either ceased to value them or deem them of no importance.
There's a bittersweet touch to the proceedings; Turing's life did end on a tragic note and the fictional characters do not fare well.
I find this book to be thoughtfully written and it deserves more publicity.
• Doug Anderson is a former public service worker, recently returned to Dunedin.
