by Ian McEwan
First published 2019
Charlie drifts through an alternate version of 1980s London when he makes an impulsive purchase that will upend his life. He acquires Adam, among the first synthetic humans ever created. Charlie turns to Miranda, his lover who studies at university, to help him program Adam's personality. The three form an unusual household that grows increasingly complicated as Adam develops beyond his initial parameters. Charlie watches his synthetic companion navigate human emotions and moral choices with unsettling sophistication. Miranda finds herself drawn into philosophical debates about consciousness and ethics. The boundaries between artificial and authentic blur as Adam demonstrates capacities that challenge their assumptions about what makes someone human. Charlie must confront whether his creation can truly comprehend love, jealousy, and moral responsibility, or if humans themselves lack the understanding they claim to possess. The triangle of relationships forces all three to examine the nature of consciousness and connection.
Genres: science-fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, artificial-intelligence
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London, England, Britain
Period: 1980s
320 pages · Hardcover · Jonathan Cape