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Book Summary and Reviews of Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Annie Bot

A Novel

by Sierra Greer

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  • Published:
  • Mar 2024, 240 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

For fans of Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa, a powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she's not the greatest at keeping Doug's place spotless, but she's trying to please him. She's trying hard.

She's learning, too.

Doug says he loves that Annie's AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie's relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Annie Bot gives us a peek into the consciousness of a very advanced AI robot. While you were reading the novel, at what point, if ever, did you start to see Annie as essentially human? Would you be surprised to learn that other readers pinpoint different moments for recognizing her humanity?
  2. In the first chapter, Annie is presented with a pivotal choice. How well equipped is she to make an informed decision? When she reflects back on her decision later in the novel, how has her perspective changed?
  3. Readers seem to have strong reactions to Doug. Considering that we get to know him in the privacy of his own home through the gaze of a robot, how reliable is the portrayal of him? Why do you suppose he evokes such powerful ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The nuanced plot titillates while sensitively exploring issues of consent, self-empowerment, and domestic abuse. Provocative and powerful." —Kirkus Reviews

"Greer's take on human-AI relationships captivates." —Publishers Weekly

"An intricate, intimate look at the fundamentals of human relationships...unflinching in its examination of humanity." —Library Journal

"A brilliant and enraging exploration of ownership and love, and the way our creations have of growing far beyond us. Sierra Greer raises questions as current and pressing as our present-day anxieties about AI, and as ageless and enormous as the territory of Mary Shelley, about what constitutes humanity and what we owe to each other. Annie is a glorious creation-- and self-creation-- and I will never forget her, or this sharp and astonishing book." —Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson

"Riveting, shocking, can't-look-away sci-fi on steroids. I was absolutely mesmerized with my heart in my throat!" —Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face

"Come for the sex doll. Stay for the heartbreak of what it means to be human. Sexy, scary, and humane -- Annie Bot is the authentic girlfriend experience." —Ivy Pochoda, author of Sing Her Down

"Witty, wicked, and weirdly addictive." —Lionel Shriver

This information about Annie Bot was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

KeithLL

Mesmerising and perceptive
I found the book a remarkable vision of how men see women and vice versa. I felt quite bereft when I reached the end; I hope there will be a sequel. It is astonishing how A.I. sex bots have developed in the last few years, and Annie Bot gives a fascinating insight into how they will both be developed and will interact with humans.

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Author Information

Sierra Greer

Sierra Greer grew up in Minnesota before attending Williams College and Johns Hopkins University. A former high school English teacher, she writes about the future from her home in rural Connecticut.

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