Annie Bot - by Sierra Greer (Paperback)

About the Book

"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?"--

Book Synopsis

WINNER OF THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD

Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American, Harper's Bazaar and NPR. Named a Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year by the Washington Post and Elle. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in Science Fiction.

"Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." -- Esquire

"Unexpected and subtle...delicious and thought-provoking." -- New Scientist

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

Annie Bot, a custom AI girlfriend, was created to be the perfect companion 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 the power dynamics in Annie's relationship with Doug grow 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?

"Annie Bot is a book to hold close to your heart when the walls start closing in." -- Washington Post

Review Quotes

"What is love without autonomy? Honesty when one partner's sole desire is to please? Sierra Greer's riveting debut sketches an intimate and unsettling portrait of relationship power dynamics in a near-future when humans own conscious AI companions. A timely and provocative exploration of power and romantic relationships that will stay with you long after you finish the last page, Annie Bot probes the depths of identity and intimacy and asks what it means to recognize the humanity in others and in ourselves. Sierra Greer is a fierce new voice in speculative fiction." - Lauren Nossett, award-winning author of The Resemblance

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

"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

"Haunting and achingly luminous, Annie Bot is a powerful manifesto for the radical discomfort and necessity of pleasing and living for yourself. Greer brilliantly shows us the futility of relationships when one person is deemed inferior, examines the ways men and women socialize one another, and raises questions about whether the contours of love and womanhood are actually captivity. I fell in love with Annie Bot, one of the realest women I have ever encountered." - Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty

"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

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

"This nuanced novel provides a fascinating look into a future we may never wish for." - Booklist (starred review)

"Searing...dazzling...a coming-of-age thriller, a sexbot bildungsroman page-turner, a book that I excitedly described to anyone who would listen while I was reading it." - Scientific American

"A book to hold close to your heart when the walls start closing in." - Washington Post

"Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." - Esquire

"All the best stories about artificial intelligence hinge on identity: Do our memories define us? Do our bodies represent who we are? Annie Bot, astonishingly, finds new ways to ask these well-worn questions. I kept reading Annie Bot way after bedtime, partly to see if Annie could escape from her prison, but also because every few pages there was an observation that made me think about both A.I. and human relationships anew." - Washington Post

"Barbie for girls who like Aphex Twin." - Sheena Patel, author of I'm a Fan

"Fascinating... I haven't been able to stop thinking about Annie Bot and the mirror it shines on the way women are treated in our society since I tore through it a few months ago." - Glamour

"Darkly clever." - Harper's Bazaar

"I don't think I've ever read a book as unique as Annie Bot... So eye-opening, it sparks conversation. It's the perfect book club pick." - New York Post

"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

"Provocative and powerful." - Kirkus Reviews

"Fun [and] unsettling." - People

"Slyly profound... a brilliant pas de deux." - New York Times Book Review

"Unexpected and subtle...delicious and thought-provoking." - New Scientist