Machines Like Me

Set in an alternative 1982 London--where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power, and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence--Machines Like Me powerfully portrays two lovers who will be tested beyond their understanding. Charlie, drifting through life, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he co-designs Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and clever--and a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will soon confront a profound moral dilemma. Ian McEwan's subversive, entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human? Could a machine understand the human heart? Do we want the power to invent things beyond our control?