ariel937's review
3.0
this is a very interesting novel that mainly follows an man named Lucas who, while grieving the death of a close friend named Margo, uncovers a private digital “life” that creates a while new dimension to a woman he thought he knew.
i’ve seen several reviews refer to this book as “wry” and “quirky,” and i have to agree. this is essentially about two employees working for a typical shitty tech job—Margo a engineer, Lucas in costumer service—who decide to get back at their racist bosses and sell data to a competitor. shortly thereafter, Margo is killed by a car.
i started this book in march of last year and never got around to finishing it. however, i still kept thinking about this book and how interesting it was, and so when i decided to pick it up again in the new year, i couldn’t stop reading! i think the book is it’s strongest when we flashback to Lucas’s memories of Margo—she’s an intelligent and somewhat cynical Black engineer, the only Black woman in the tech company they work for, who has a very complicated and often thoughtful life online, and dreams of one day visiting Tokyo.
to keep from spoiling the plot, it’ll just say that the different personas shes had online reflect the many “hats” i think a lot of people who use the internet wear. so many people have anonymous accounts on sites and find new friends based on similar interests, and that’s what i liked to read about. all this added with the 2008ish era of the “boom” of social media, i think this gives the book a very thoughtful and interesting observation about our presence online, the people we interact with, and even the extent we share these things in real life. personally, some people ive met online and formed deep connections with, ive never even met and through the years have lost touch with. i thought very deeply about the parts where we follow Margo’s different online lives because i could relate to it so easily. the fact that this was set in the “early days” of social media, when it was all so new, was really fascinating and i wish we explored that more.
however, around the middle i thought that the book was losing its footing. i understand the intent was to comment on grief and capitalism, and how we mourn loved ones, but i thought Margo was just so interesting. i wanted more of her and her friendship with Lucas. and while the premise of the book—stealing data from a tech company—was an interesting starting point, it just didn’t go anywhere. would i have liked more suspense, where Lucas and Margo ads on the run from douchey tech bros, even though I’m usually not into that type of thing lol
i’ve seen several reviews refer to this book as “wry” and “quirky,” and i have to agree. this is essentially about two employees working for a typical shitty tech job—Margo a engineer, Lucas in costumer service—who decide to get back at their racist bosses and sell data to a competitor. shortly thereafter, Margo is killed by a car.
i started this book in march of last year and never got around to finishing it. however, i still kept thinking about this book and how interesting it was, and so when i decided to pick it up again in the new year, i couldn’t stop reading! i think the book is it’s strongest when we flashback to Lucas’s memories of Margo—she’s an intelligent and somewhat cynical Black engineer, the only Black woman in the tech company they work for, who has a very complicated and often thoughtful life online, and dreams of one day visiting Tokyo.
to keep from spoiling the plot, it’ll just say that the different personas shes had online reflect the many “hats” i think a lot of people who use the internet wear. so many people have anonymous accounts on sites and find new friends based on similar interests, and that’s what i liked to read about. all this added with the 2008ish era of the “boom” of social media, i think this gives the book a very thoughtful and interesting observation about our presence online, the people we interact with, and even the extent we share these things in real life. personally, some people ive met online and formed deep connections with, ive never even met and through the years have lost touch with. i thought very deeply about the parts where we follow Margo’s different online lives because i could relate to it so easily. the fact that this was set in the “early days” of social media, when it was all so new, was really fascinating and i wish we explored that more.
however, around the middle i thought that the book was losing its footing. i understand the intent was to comment on grief and capitalism, and how we mourn loved ones, but i thought Margo was just so interesting. i wanted more of her and her friendship with Lucas. and while the premise of the book—stealing data from a tech company—was an interesting starting point, it just didn’t go anywhere. would i have liked more suspense, where Lucas and Margo ads on the run from douchey tech bros, even though I’m usually not into that type of thing lol
flapjacks's review
2.0
This was fine. The NPR interview with Kevin Nguyen was honestly more interesting and led me to believe there would be more focus on internet communities and growing up online, but the book was mostly about grief and the loss of a best friend. Also, the main character works at a startup and reading this after Uncanny Valley it was hard not to compare the criticisms of the culture... and sorry, but Anna Wiener does it better.
711ambient's review
Not a thriller. It’s a lovely story about grief but a bit directionless, especially the last 1/3 where it really falls apart. But that’s very much like grief: directionless, disorganized, and nonsensical.
vwojtowicz's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
oatmilkjuqi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
clementina_lima's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
whatisshereading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
an enjoyable book im glad i picked up. i enjoyed the dialogue and the plot.