True Life in Uncanny Valley - by Deb Caletti (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Eleanor, like so many others, is used to watching her famous father from afar. To the world, Hugo Harrison is the brilliant and charismatic tech genius whose AI inventions seem to create a new, better reality. But to Eleanor, whose mother had an affair with Hugo years ago, he is something even more intriguing, and dangerous--a secret. When Eleanor's spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son --her half-brother --she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one thing: become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real--even the Harrisons themselves?"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World comes the gripping story of a girl living a lie in order to find the truth about her family and herself.

Eleanor, like so many others, is used to watching her famous father from afar. To the world, Hugo Harrison is the brilliant and charismatic tech genius whose AI inventions seem to create a new, better reality. But to Eleanor, whose mother had an affair with Hugo years ago, he is something even more intriguing, and dangerous--a secret.

When Eleanor's spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son--her half-brother--she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one thing: become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real--even the Harrisons themselves?

Caught between her own secrets and the ones she's uncovering about her father and his latest invention, Eleanor faces a question that technology can't answer: what is your true self, and how do you know when you find her?

Review Quotes

★ "Caletti combines a coming-of-age narrative with a buoyant summer romance and a technological mystery to craft an intriguing novel about figuring out one's place in the world." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Caletti compellingly explores big questions about class, the ethics of AI, and the price people pay for depicting perfect lives online....An at times heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story about chosen family." --Kirkus Reviews

"This story asks timely and important questions about the origin and nature of AI, woven into evergreen themes of family dynamics, sense of self, and coming of age." --Booklist

"A fast, complex read that feels both classic and topical....and comes of age in a thoroughly enjoyable summer read." --The Bulletin

About the Author

Deb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over twenty books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award; A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; Girl, Unframed; and One Great Lie. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.