foggy_rosamund's review
5.0
This book is challenging, but it rewards the reader's attention and patience tenfold. It tells the story of Alec Pryor, who is based on Alan Turing. At the opening of the book, Alec is undergoing chemical castration, because he is accused of having sex with men. Alec has worked at Bletchley Park, his work has been invaluable to the war effort, but as a man who holds state secrets, he is viewed with suspicion by the police and officials. Will Eaves is concerned with Jungian psychotherapy; with dream states; with the meaning of artificial intelligence; with whether Alec can hold on to his identity while his body changes without his consent. Eaves gives the reader little to hold on to as he wanders in and out of Alec's subconscious: Alec's mind is full of beauty, thoughts on mathematics and AI, and potent with symbols. The reader must let go of their need for a linear plot, and follow Alec into his inner world. Eaves is also a poet, which comes across to me in the precision and beauty of his prose. This book is a remarkable exploration of the way our minds work, of trauma and loss, and an imaginative exploration of AI and computers. I found this utterly fascinating, and kept underlining parts in pencil, but at the same time, it was work to read: I had to take a break halfway through when I was too tired to put in the effort. But it does repay your effort: it's a rich, though-provoking book, one that will bear rereading, and which I highly recommend.
baw's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.25
“And yet the loss of it, to each of us in turn, will not matter that much, because, strangely, it is the knowledge there are other rooms, or rather tenants of this room, the lives of others from a future quite unknown to us, continuing beyond our grasp, that gives the room its shape. It is a bounty built from scarcity. We have it once, and that limit, material mortality, gives what I do, the work I wrestle with, the friends I love, the fears I feel, meaning.”
claire60's review
4.0
Really enjoyed the writing in this book, will definitely read it again as I'm sure some parts didn't go in. Starting from the position of exploring Alan Turing and the impact on him of have chemical castration, it then turns into a fantasy book which explores how different his life could have been and explores what his computers might have said. I really enjoyed the letters between him and Joan, they were really endearing. The prose in-between was lyrical, magical and sometimes confusing but always beautiful.
emily1602's review
I think I could have had some of the thoughts in this book, but many of them I could not. It is from Alan Turing's perspective. Mathematical view of the world (not statistics! statistics are a terrible way to view the world. although maybe I have a too simplistic view of statistics), applied to questions of his life- what are we without society's acceptance? what is the relationship between cause and effect? what makes a person/thing (computer ofc) conscious? I understood why some parts of the book were there, but not why other parts were there. The parts I did understand made me think that my problem with the other parts was a lack in my own understanding, not a flaw of the book. Brilliant and kind and captures the way it feels to dream in a way that feels as real as any book I have read. The middle half of the book is a series of dreams/potential alternate lives.
Spoiler
At the end, it turns out that the one strand of real life that seemed to be running through the middle section, letters Turing was exchanging with a friend, turned out to be in his imagination. Deeply lonely ending.andrew61's review
4.0
When I heard the short story from which this novel emerged when it was shortlisted for the BBC National short story award I was struck by the brilliantly drawn first person description of the effects of chemical castration upon Alan Turing and the events that had led to conviction for indecency. As society has changed over the decades the rehabilitation of this genius only compounds the horror and misery inflicted upon individuals by the state because of their sexuality and any resident of Manchester will see wall murals , street names and statues celebrating him which again seems somewhat ironic given how he was treated and his sad end.
This book is therefore a fascinating delve into a troubled mind as it expands on the short story to view the world through the characters mind and it is at time hallucinatory in format through the use of dreams and mirrors to explore a childhood friendship, the relationship with an adult lover, a scene at home with his mother and brother , through the use of letters the relationship with a woman to whom he was engaged.
This is not an easy read and listening to the author speak I feel that I have missed much on a first read which a better knowledge of Turing's theory would help, certainly mirrors and dreams as well as AI suggest the book uses philosophical ideas as well. Definitely an interesting read , deserving of a reread which left me intrigued but with a headache and at time scratching my head. Still I'd recommend it and doff my dunces cap to the writer.
This book is therefore a fascinating delve into a troubled mind as it expands on the short story to view the world through the characters mind and it is at time hallucinatory in format through the use of dreams and mirrors to explore a childhood friendship, the relationship with an adult lover, a scene at home with his mother and brother , through the use of letters the relationship with a woman to whom he was engaged.
This is not an easy read and listening to the author speak I feel that I have missed much on a first read which a better knowledge of Turing's theory would help, certainly mirrors and dreams as well as AI suggest the book uses philosophical ideas as well. Definitely an interesting read , deserving of a reread which left me intrigued but with a headache and at time scratching my head. Still I'd recommend it and doff my dunces cap to the writer.
reubenlb's review against another edition
4.0
i can’t say that i always understood what was going on, but the prose was captivating
georgie_mb's review against another edition
2.0
*gifted to me from Canongate*
I’m so gutted I didn’t enjoy this more, but I just couldn’t get into it. I’m completely fascinated by Alan Turing‘s life, especially as my grandma worked at Bletchley Park, but even for someone who knows a bit about his life, I really struggled and nearly gave up with it!
The book is split into sections of his journal, dreams and letters. I felt like I now have to go and look this up properly online somewhere as it’s not clear how much of this book is fiction. The first and last section of the book, the journal parts are actually beautifully written, but quite short compared to the middle section of dreams and letters and that’s where the book lets itself down for me.
I completely understand why Eaves has included these weird and bizarre dreams to show Turing’s suppression, but they are written in such a way that I couldn’t get the flow of them. I feel like with some of them I just glazed over them as I had no clue what was going on! I think that this book is really excluding itself to readers who have no previous knowledge of Turing’s life, as it gives no further explanation of insight into certain parts of his life.
I’m glad this is a short book as I think if it was any longer than 200 pages it would have been a DNF for me!
I’m so gutted I didn’t enjoy this more, but I just couldn’t get into it. I’m completely fascinated by Alan Turing‘s life, especially as my grandma worked at Bletchley Park, but even for someone who knows a bit about his life, I really struggled and nearly gave up with it!
The book is split into sections of his journal, dreams and letters. I felt like I now have to go and look this up properly online somewhere as it’s not clear how much of this book is fiction. The first and last section of the book, the journal parts are actually beautifully written, but quite short compared to the middle section of dreams and letters and that’s where the book lets itself down for me.
I completely understand why Eaves has included these weird and bizarre dreams to show Turing’s suppression, but they are written in such a way that I couldn’t get the flow of them. I feel like with some of them I just glazed over them as I had no clue what was going on! I think that this book is really excluding itself to readers who have no previous knowledge of Turing’s life, as it gives no further explanation of insight into certain parts of his life.
I’m glad this is a short book as I think if it was any longer than 200 pages it would have been a DNF for me!
3thingsaboutthisbook's review against another edition
4.0
📕It’s these kinda books make you understand, even if they are works of fiction, what people have been through and how horribly they were treated. What someone like Alan Turing, who singlehandedly ended a war with his intellect and vision, had been through
-
📗This is a story of another man like a Turing who was stigmatized for his sexual preference leading the days to Turing’s suicide. This man is very much like a portal into Turing’s last days. You can see how he loves, how he thinks and how he suffers
-
📘After reading “Machines like Me”, where Turing was alive and well in an alternative universe, this book came like a refresher of all truth, hatred and bigotry out there. It’s a small but mighty read
-
📗This is a story of another man like a Turing who was stigmatized for his sexual preference leading the days to Turing’s suicide. This man is very much like a portal into Turing’s last days. You can see how he loves, how he thinks and how he suffers
-
📘After reading “Machines like Me”, where Turing was alive and well in an alternative universe, this book came like a refresher of all truth, hatred and bigotry out there. It’s a small but mighty read
ruthie_the_librarian's review
1.0
I initially enjoyed the first part of this book, but then began to feel more & more stupid as I went along! The dream sequences left me confused, and so for the latter half of the book I just felt confused and annoyed...It felt like weird, literary showing off. I'm sure some readers think it's marvellous, but it just wasn't for me. I persevered, and made it to the end, but it's taken me almost half a year and by the end I resented every single page.
Not my favourite.
Not my favourite.
mann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5