Abandoned, p.65: another it-doesn’t-work-that-way mess and I can’t handle another one so soon after [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680459872l/20170404.SX50.jpg|28098716]. It’s obviously YA, and clearly intended as a fable, but even in those there should be some way to figure out the rules. None of the logistics make any sense: not the building complex, its power generation, plumbing, life support; nor the technological marvels built from “scrapped circuit boards,” nor the too-human emotions in all the robots (one of which is a cowardly-lion Roomba named Rambo—get it?—another, a sadistic medical-caretaker named Nurse R.A.T.C.H.E.D.—get it?); and not the fleeing-parents setup nor the child being raised and coming out well-adjusted despite zero human company.

Maybe I could chill, accept magical handwaving as the explanation for it all, not try to ask questions. Or maybe everything is explained satisfactorily on page 66 (if so, someone trustworthy please let me know, and I’ll give it another try). But it’s also heavyhanded, another form of sloppiness that irks me. So many glowing reviews, such high hopes, but life is short.