Somewhat interesting AI narrative, a bit social-worker-y in tone. If you like to read about people talking to their houses (He, She, & It springs to mind) you might enjoy this. ( )

I didn't know what this book was about before I started reading it. I only picked it up because it was written by Susan Palwick, whose short story collection, The Fate of Mice, I'd recently read and loved.I think if I did know what this was about, I might not have read it. It doesn't have anything in particular in here that would make me like it. A passing minor character who's intersexed, and somewhat major character who's lesbian, but otherwise.. nope.It takes place in the future, with conflicts over AI rights, a global pandemic, people whose consciousness has been transferred online, lots of cute (and not-so-cute) robots, smart houses, and etc.Yet mostly it's about two women growing up, and caring very deeply for one interesting little boy.Parts of it aren't happy. Parts of it are disturbing. Well.. lots of it isn't happy. Yet somehow it's not a downer to read.Makes me want to read even more of her stuff! ( )

Very long and slow, with the majority of the book told in flashback, but also one of the best sci-fi books about AI. A storm in mid-twenty-first century San Francisco brings together three characters - an AI and a homeless man whose memories has been wiped, plus the disembodied personality of a technological tycoon (think Bill Gates in the future) - in a smart house, the shelter of the title. They are all connected by a terrible family secret and its repercussions, along with two women scarred by childhood disease.

The pacing is slack, the dialogue weak (filled with 'ums' and 'hmmphs', which may be how people talk but doesn't look clever in written form), and the ending far too neat, but the characters are very believable and Palwick's vision of the future all too possible. The reader isn't beaten over the head with fantastic devices or apocalyptic prophecies, but shown how technology and society might change in forty years - artificially intelligent computers that can claim the same rights as people, bots to perform everyday tasks (it would be great to have a Mr Clean for real!), and a medical procedure for every human flaw. Fame and wealth still corrupt Meredith, however, and there is no magic solution for Roberta's problems.

I was completely drawn into Palwick's world, even if wading through two life histories did take a while. The convergence of individual characters did not seem contrived, but helped to tie together the separate threads of the story. Allowing both Meredith and Roberta a voice means that both women are shown sympathetically, and the honesty with which they are described prevents them from becoming mere devices.

An enthralling and fulfilling read. ( )

It's the second half of the 21st century and three Big Issues are affecting the lives of a handful of San Francisco residents - a terrible pandemic called CV, the question of whether a being with Artificial Intelligence should be considered human or a machine, and a procedure called mindwiping, which destroys the entire memory and is being used not just for murderers but also for the mentally ill. Although these issues are enmeshed with the plot, it's the thoughts and actions of the characters - human and AI alike - that make this thick book a compelling read from start to finish. Lovely - hated to see it end. ( )