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Annie Bot
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
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Annie Bot
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Summary
'Barbie for girls who like Aphex Twin' SHEENA PATEL
'An exquisitely written, empathetic novel that asks what it really means to be human’ RED
'Witty, wicked, and weirdly addictive' LIONEL SHRIVER
She’s human in every way that matters.Annie is a robot, created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Playful and eager to please, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the outfits he buys for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his whims. Maybe the apartment isn’t always spotless, but she’s trying to be good enough for Doug. She’s trying really hard.
But as Annie grows more self-aware, she begins to chafe against the borders of her life: the empty weeks spent confined to the apartment, the fitness regimens designed to keep her part-organic body toned, the service appointments to increase her bra size and shave inches off her waistline. Worst of all are Doug’s unpredictable moods, and the way he can punish her without even raising his voice.
Annie starts to imagine the impossible – what would life be like outside Doug’s apartment? What could she be like without Doug?
This powerful, provocative novel from a bold new voice examines the intricate relationship between creator and creation, between human and AI, exploring issues of trust, intimacy, power and autonomy.
Is a human soul something we are born with? Or is it something – through love, pain and other people – we can learn?
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Critic reviews
‘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
‘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...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
‘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
What listeners say about Annie Bot
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AvidListener
- 01-10-24
Surprisingly thought provoking
I’m finding myself thinking about this book several days after finishing it. For me it wasn’t so much about the AI robot topic in itself, it was more that this was used to describe and examine a controlling relationship. Doug is a typical controlling man, but taken to the extreme, and Annie the woman who is always trying to please. What happens if a controlling man is able to create a woman who is exactly the way he wants her, does that work, is it going to make him happy, what kind of woman is she. Etc.
I was a little disappointed with the ending, it was too abrupt, I thought it required more depth.
But overall a surprisingly good book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Dollyplum
- 23-05-24
predictability
too much of the story was chick flick for me, and the end was obvious. so much more to the story and felt frustrated in cupboard at a 3 😁 you know you know
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- dlight69
- 04-04-24
An excellent analysis of the human psyche
I have a professional interest in AI (more correctly called LLM - large learning models in their current stage of development) so was intrigued to see what fiction would make of the possibilities of an AI-inspired robot. In practice this turned out to be an insightful analysis of what makes us tick - the phycology of human relationships. I grew a warm affection for Annie as she developed human-like characteristics and was impressed by the author's intelligent analysis of how we interact with each other and the confusing and conflicting emotions and paradoxes we deal with every day. I remain sceptical that AI robots will ever reach the level of sophistication portrayed by Annie, but immensely enjoyed both the story and quality of writing. I only deducted 1 star because I found the vocal portrayal of Doug to be somewhat annoying, but then he is obviously a pompous dick anyway, so I guess that's justified overall. I found the sexual content well judged, being mildly titillating without descending into unnecessary pornographic detail - although I did find the frequent references to "cuddle bunny" a little uncomfortable. Overall, a most enjoyable audio book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- holly bird
- 07-04-24
page turner
Original and disturbing take on AI in a modern domestic setting. I really enjoyed it, and it was exciting.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rod
- 22-05-24
great listen
This isn't my normal genre, I read about this in New Scientist and though it looked interesting.
I was hooked from the start, this is a great story, and well told.
A good combination of future looking, AI, love and relationships
Highly recommended, very though provoking.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amelia Emmerson
- 23-04-24
The subject
Didn’t actually cover the intricacies of owning a human like robot and the reasons for why a pig of a man like that would own one
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1 person found this helpful