They've infiltrated homes in Hong Kong, shops in Vancouver, the streets of in Sierra Leone, town squares in Oaxaca, schools in Tel Aviv, bedrooms in Indiana. They're everywhere. They're here. They're us. They're not pets, or ghosts, or robots. They're real people, but how can a person living in Berlin walk freely through the living room of someone in Sydney? How can someone in Bangkok have breakfast with your children in Buenos Aires, without your knowing? Especially when these people are completely anonymous, unknown, unfindable.
The characters in Samanta Schweblin's brilliant new novel, Little Eyes, reveal the beauty of connection between far-flung souls—but yet they also expose the ugly side of our increasingly linked world. Trusting strangers can lead to unexpected love, playful encounters, and marvelous adventure, but what happens when it can also pave the way for unimaginable terror? This is a story that is already happening; it's familiar …
They've infiltrated homes in Hong Kong, shops in Vancouver, the streets of in Sierra Leone, town squares in Oaxaca, schools in Tel Aviv, bedrooms in Indiana. They're everywhere. They're here. They're us. They're not pets, or ghosts, or robots. They're real people, but how can a person living in Berlin walk freely through the living room of someone in Sydney? How can someone in Bangkok have breakfast with your children in Buenos Aires, without your knowing? Especially when these people are completely anonymous, unknown, unfindable.
The characters in Samanta Schweblin's brilliant new novel, Little Eyes, reveal the beauty of connection between far-flung souls—but yet they also expose the ugly side of our increasingly linked world. Trusting strangers can lead to unexpected love, playful encounters, and marvelous adventure, but what happens when it can also pave the way for unimaginable terror? This is a story that is already happening; it's familiar and unsettling because it's our present and we're living it, we just don't know it yet. In this prophecy of a story, Schweblin creates a dark and complex world that's somehow so sensible, so recognizable, that once it's entered, no one can ever leave.
A Kentucki is a little animal toy with cameras and mics, randomly paired with a “dweller” somewhere else in the world. The dweller can observe but not (meaningfully) communicate with the “keeper,” whoever owns the Kentucki.
You can imagine where it goes from there given how fucked up humanity can be, either the dweller or keeper. It’s pretty bleak by the end. People really are the worst. Fascinating and horrifying.
Very believable. So much so, that when I told my husband about this book I was reading, he thought I was describing a new toy on the market. I would not be surprised to see something very similar to this in the store soon. Will not be surprised to find out all the ways this goes bad... exactly as depicted in this book.
Many of us are addicted to social media. Many of us seek some sort of dialog or interaction with the people on the other side of the keyboard. We're "lonely". We're interested in the new and novel not the same old same old. We want to live vicariously. We want to project how perfect our lives seem. Most of the time we are existing in some netherworld, neither here nor there. We're not in the moment, experiencing what is going on around us. We're interacting with nobody …
Very believable. So much so, that when I told my husband about this book I was reading, he thought I was describing a new toy on the market. I would not be surprised to see something very similar to this in the store soon. Will not be surprised to find out all the ways this goes bad... exactly as depicted in this book.
Many of us are addicted to social media. Many of us seek some sort of dialog or interaction with the people on the other side of the keyboard. We're "lonely". We're interested in the new and novel not the same old same old. We want to live vicariously. We want to project how perfect our lives seem. Most of the time we are existing in some netherworld, neither here nor there. We're not in the moment, experiencing what is going on around us. We're interacting with nobody and everybody except the people in the room with us.
It's weird. Probably very unhealthy as well. One hundred years from now historians will say "wtf".
We've had, as toys for our son when he was a little boy, both Furby and Tamagochees.
This is a thought provoking book, and it's good, but I was not blown away. It could have used some character development and a little more in the way of plot.
More like 4.5 stars but who can tell the difference? First let me say that you will enjoy this book a lot more if you suspend your disbelief that anyone would willingly buy a toy that comes with the promise a perfect stranger will have access to every aspect of the owners private life. I don't find that hard to believe personally, given the popularity of smart speakers even after the many stories of privacy violations. I'm sure that was exactly what inspired this book actually. Schweblin has explored the many permutationa of how this relationship could turn out. Let me save you some time: none of the stories have a happy ending. Instead these stories explore the complexities of forming relationships online, where a certain amount of secrecy, miscommunication, and incorrect assumptions lead to disappointment and emotional trauma that we really can only blame ourselves for having been exposed …
More like 4.5 stars but who can tell the difference? First let me say that you will enjoy this book a lot more if you suspend your disbelief that anyone would willingly buy a toy that comes with the promise a perfect stranger will have access to every aspect of the owners private life. I don't find that hard to believe personally, given the popularity of smart speakers even after the many stories of privacy violations. I'm sure that was exactly what inspired this book actually. Schweblin has explored the many permutationa of how this relationship could turn out. Let me save you some time: none of the stories have a happy ending. Instead these stories explore the complexities of forming relationships online, where a certain amount of secrecy, miscommunication, and incorrect assumptions lead to disappointment and emotional trauma that we really can only blame ourselves for having been exposed to. It's a deeply disturbing but entirely honest exploration into the world we already live in.
