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Every Version of You
'Asks what it is to be human. Visceral, mind-bending and tender.' - Inga Simpson
In late twenty-first century Australia, Tao-Yi and her partner Navin spend most of their time inside a hyper-immersive, hyper-consumerist virtual reality called Gaia. They log on, go to work, socialise, and even eat in this digital utopia. Meanwhile their aging bodies lie suspended in pods inside cramped apartments. Across the city, in the abandoned 'real' world, Tao-Yi's mother remains stubbornly offline, preferring instead to indulge in memories of her life in Malaysia.
When a new technology is developed to permanently upload a human brain to Gaia, Tao-Yi must decide what is most a digital future, or an authentic past.
Never Let Me Go meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Murakami surrealism thrown in, this is speculative literary fiction at its best.
In late twenty-first century Australia, Tao-Yi and her partner Navin spend most of their time inside a hyper-immersive, hyper-consumerist virtual reality called Gaia. They log on, go to work, socialise, and even eat in this digital utopia. Meanwhile their aging bodies lie suspended in pods inside cramped apartments. Across the city, in the abandoned 'real' world, Tao-Yi's mother remains stubbornly offline, preferring instead to indulge in memories of her life in Malaysia.
When a new technology is developed to permanently upload a human brain to Gaia, Tao-Yi must decide what is most a digital future, or an authentic past.
Never Let Me Go meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Murakami surrealism thrown in, this is speculative literary fiction at its best.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2022
About the author
Grace Chan
15 books60 followersI’m a speculative fiction writer and doctor. My writing explores brains, minds, technology, space, and identity.
My debut novel, Every Version of You, uses virtual reality and mind-uploading to explore identity, love, migration, change, and the future of humanity.
My short fiction can be found in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Fireside, Space and Time Magazine, Black Cranes, Going Down Swinging, Aurealis, Andromeda Spaceways, and many other places.
I have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards, Norma K Hemming Award, and Viva la Novella VII.
My other interests include salt-and-vinegar anything and secretly filming my friends’ NYE karaoke highlights. I am terrible at conveying sarcasm. In a decaffeinated state, I may cease to exist.
My debut novel, Every Version of You, uses virtual reality and mind-uploading to explore identity, love, migration, change, and the future of humanity.
My short fiction can be found in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Fireside, Space and Time Magazine, Black Cranes, Going Down Swinging, Aurealis, Andromeda Spaceways, and many other places.
I have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards, Norma K Hemming Award, and Viva la Novella VII.
My other interests include salt-and-vinegar anything and secretly filming my friends’ NYE karaoke highlights. I am terrible at conveying sarcasm. In a decaffeinated state, I may cease to exist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
October 3, 2022
This was a complete departure from what I typically read. But I was in the mood to shake things up. Chan poses the most interesting questions about consciousness and the self in this speculative novel with climate grief and class in its heart. The novel is immersive and the world building is multidimensional. I was hugely impressed and quietly terrified (in a good way) by this debut novel.
October 16, 2022
Although there were elements that I enjoyed, including the small details such as calling the real world “meatspace”, ‘Every Version of You’ fell a little flat.
The author tries to incorporate various elements to critique such as virtual reality, mortality, climate change and poverty to name a few. All of which are only briefly mentioned and then subsequently discarded to make way for the protagonist Tao-Yi to flutter through life with no real purpose or meaning.
Depression is another topic that is discussed but then never actually explored to it’s full potential. For a virtual world where everything is possible, nothing interesting happens.
There could have been so many compelling points of view that the author could have explored, such as those poverty stricken unable to enter the VR world of Gaia, a person who was actually uploaded and hated it or
At one point in the novel Tao-Yi goes on a ‘journey’ however nothing is described to us extensively and it just feels pointless and rushed. Nothing she does seems meaningful or explained properly.
There was one scene that I thoroughly enjoyed and do agree that it added a Murakami element to the text, the origami section. I would have liked to have had more of these types of elements, very Matrix-esc.
I loved how it was set in Melbourne (I’m a Geelong local) and enjoyed lines such as these which demonstrate the authors writing talent; “she slurps hot broth from the morsels innards”. A line discussing eating noodles and it slaps! It makes you hungry, rolls off of the tongue and is also somewhat grotesque. I wish Chan included more of her obviously incredible talent!
‘Every Version of You’ left me expecting more than I was delivered. The vast majority of the text read like a Young Adult book and there were just too many missed opportunities that the author failed to explore.
The author tries to incorporate various elements to critique such as virtual reality, mortality, climate change and poverty to name a few. All of which are only briefly mentioned and then subsequently discarded to make way for the protagonist Tao-Yi to flutter through life with no real purpose or meaning.
Depression is another topic that is discussed but then never actually explored to it’s full potential. For a virtual world where everything is possible, nothing interesting happens.
There could have been so many compelling points of view that the author could have explored, such as those poverty stricken unable to enter the VR world of Gaia, a person who was actually uploaded and hated it or
At one point in the novel Tao-Yi goes on a ‘journey’ however nothing is described to us extensively and it just feels pointless and rushed. Nothing she does seems meaningful or explained properly.
There was one scene that I thoroughly enjoyed and do agree that it added a Murakami element to the text, the origami section. I would have liked to have had more of these types of elements, very Matrix-esc.
I loved how it was set in Melbourne (I’m a Geelong local) and enjoyed lines such as these which demonstrate the authors writing talent; “she slurps hot broth from the morsels innards”. A line discussing eating noodles and it slaps! It makes you hungry, rolls off of the tongue and is also somewhat grotesque. I wish Chan included more of her obviously incredible talent!
‘Every Version of You’ left me expecting more than I was delivered. The vast majority of the text read like a Young Adult book and there were just too many missed opportunities that the author failed to explore.
February 19, 2023
Australia, circa 2080: life is increasingly lived inside the virtual world Gaia, but our protagonist, Tao-Yi, is a little more reluctant than most of her peers. When the concept of ‘Uploading’ – transferring a person’s consciousness to Gaia in its entirety – is launched, things get more complicated, especially as Tao-Yi’s boyfriend Navin is immediately enchanted by the idea. Every Version of You reminded me of books like
Chosen Spirits
and Moxyland, which colourfully depict future worlds, but with a much more focused plot and strong emotional core. It pulls off something rare for this type of story: the tech is thoughtfully written and Tao-Yi feels like a real person whose relationships (with her friends and her mother as well as Navin) actually mean something. I loved the closing chapters’ account of the post-Gaia real world, full of desolation, glimmering with hope.
August 12, 2022
An incredible debut novel by Australian author Grace Chan. This book hit me hard in so many ways. Sci-fi mixed with dystopian, it analyses how technology changes our society and what it means to exist. LOVED IT 🖤
March 5, 2023
Very immersive and really well written. If you like some good old doom and dread while reading then I would recommend.
Some of the slang did feel a bit forced (some hit well though so that’s much of a muchness) and some themes (and concepts in general) could’ve been fleshed out a lot more. Overall a decent take on our “dystopic” future.
3/5
Some of the slang did feel a bit forced (some hit well though so that’s much of a muchness) and some themes (and concepts in general) could’ve been fleshed out a lot more. Overall a decent take on our “dystopic” future.
3/5
March 9, 2023
2023 Stella Longlist
What a Novel!
There's something a little off and mildly depressing about the inhospitable, high tech, world these people are living in, during the not too distant future. Then a mind expanding utopia opens up and the world population sees a better way to live. Or is it living? Is it evolution? Or is it something else? The cognitive dissonance is mind-bending and fascinating. About halfway into the story I was completely invested and the few hours it took to finish the story flew by without me noticing where the time had gone once I turned the last page. It's not often that a novel does that for me. I can't even comment on the writing style because it melded into story so well. I'd need to read it again to be able to comment on that.
I had picked this up before it was longlisted for the 2023 Stella Prize because I'm interested in novels that deal with aspects of climate change. This is certainly one of the best. I'm currently attempting the complete longlist, which appears to be a very strong list this year with some very diverse content. If this one was to win, I would be very happy with that.
What a Novel!
There's something a little off and mildly depressing about the inhospitable, high tech, world these people are living in, during the not too distant future. Then a mind expanding utopia opens up and the world population sees a better way to live. Or is it living? Is it evolution? Or is it something else? The cognitive dissonance is mind-bending and fascinating. About halfway into the story I was completely invested and the few hours it took to finish the story flew by without me noticing where the time had gone once I turned the last page. It's not often that a novel does that for me. I can't even comment on the writing style because it melded into story so well. I'd need to read it again to be able to comment on that.
I had picked this up before it was longlisted for the 2023 Stella Prize because I'm interested in novels that deal with aspects of climate change. This is certainly one of the best. I'm currently attempting the complete longlist, which appears to be a very strong list this year with some very diverse content. If this one was to win, I would be very happy with that.
August 29, 2022
What, a read.
A beautifully written book that attacks numerous themes and evokes so many emotions.
I was immersed in Tao-Yi’s life, and how decision-making and influences around her made a huge impact on how she would live the rest of her life.
This book was just mind-bending and will probably stay with me for a while.
4.5
A beautifully written book that attacks numerous themes and evokes so many emotions.
I was immersed in Tao-Yi’s life, and how decision-making and influences around her made a huge impact on how she would live the rest of her life.
This book was just mind-bending and will probably stay with me for a while.
4.5
October 15, 2022
“She’d thought that, in staying behind, she was clinging to something akin to her humanness. But it seems she has been left behind. They have become more human, and she has become more monstrous, more other.”
It’s 65 years into the future. The physical world is becoming less and less habitable and, increasingly, people are spending more and more time online in a virtual world called Gaia.
.
The opportunity comes to completely upload. Do you do it, or cling to the physical world? A digital future or an authentic past?
.
Don’t answer that until you’ve read this stunning debut. Once you have then let’s talk.
.
As a thought experiment imagine yourself 65 years in the past and someone tells you about life in 2022. What would you imagine yourself thinking? What would you be excited about? What would you shake your head at with a 1957 mindset?
.
Bravo Grace Chan. An extraordinary examination of the behaviour of humans in a rapidly changing world and our desire to belong.
.
Extraordinary literary speculative fiction that I want to press into everyone’s hands.
It’s 65 years into the future. The physical world is becoming less and less habitable and, increasingly, people are spending more and more time online in a virtual world called Gaia.
.
The opportunity comes to completely upload. Do you do it, or cling to the physical world? A digital future or an authentic past?
.
Don’t answer that until you’ve read this stunning debut. Once you have then let’s talk.
.
As a thought experiment imagine yourself 65 years in the past and someone tells you about life in 2022. What would you imagine yourself thinking? What would you be excited about? What would you shake your head at with a 1957 mindset?
.
Bravo Grace Chan. An extraordinary examination of the behaviour of humans in a rapidly changing world and our desire to belong.
.
Extraordinary literary speculative fiction that I want to press into everyone’s hands.
December 14, 2023
Every Version of You is science fiction, a genre I don’t read often.
I found it all too convincing - the depiction of the slide into this fake world. Environmental destruction, powerful companies and ideas that don’t have our best interests at heart, a free-for-all capitalist approach to technology. Human interests are all ignored along the way.
So while it wasn’t a novel I exactly enjoyed reading, I found it really engaging and thought provoking. I’ve thought about a fair bit since I finished reading it.
Even though it’s a dystopian world, I didn’t find it scary. It more strengthened my resolve to do my part so that the world does not end up like the world depicted here, with most people entirely living in some fake reality.
I found it all too convincing - the depiction of the slide into this fake world. Environmental destruction, powerful companies and ideas that don’t have our best interests at heart, a free-for-all capitalist approach to technology. Human interests are all ignored along the way.
So while it wasn’t a novel I exactly enjoyed reading, I found it really engaging and thought provoking. I’ve thought about a fair bit since I finished reading it.
Even though it’s a dystopian world, I didn’t find it scary. It more strengthened my resolve to do my part so that the world does not end up like the world depicted here, with most people entirely living in some fake reality.
August 31, 2022
If you’ve recently loved TV shows like ‘Upload,’ ‘Severance,’ and ‘Made for Love’ for how they tapped into discussions of 'consciousness' and virtual reality, then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!
Australia needs more of our own SciFi for adult audiences, and I think Grace is part of an exciting new wave of Speculative Fiction authors breaking this genre open for our literary landscape
Australia needs more of our own SciFi for adult audiences, and I think Grace is part of an exciting new wave of Speculative Fiction authors breaking this genre open for our literary landscape
March 16, 2023
Onward with more Indie Book Awards 2023 reads.
3.5 stars.
I so wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I found the writing style didn't let me into the story as much as I wanted. Also, for a sci-fi, it's light. It's speculative, so maybe hits that sub-genre, but the author opts out of giving us immersive detail. What detail we have of the virtual word is lyrical and vibrant, but it does lack on imagination and daring. We're being invited into a virtual world set in the future, where we're told anything is possible. Unfortunately, we're presented with basically a copy of normal. I have a feeling the author maybe trying to portray a sense for things lost, but I don't buy into that totally as the virtual world is not about what's lost, but about the current period.
Things I did like were the themes on existence - when is life life? What is life? Can life be virtual and not organic? That interested me, and I thought this story explored those questions well. Also, the ethics on should technology permit organic death to create immortal digital life? I think one day those questions will be discussed widely. I'm not sure it will be when this novel is set, but one day it will occur.
Yet, while I did enjoy those themes, I thought the story rushed the narrative some, squeezed it into a tighter timeframe that seemed true. This novel could have spanned a longer space, and still been as good. Maybe even better. It seemed a race to empty the world, and as much as I want to accept the author's take on this, I tend to think it would be more a crawl. Still, you can't say Grach Chan doesn't lack for imagination, because this story certainly shows a structured story that speculates the notion of digital existence succeeding organic life.
3.5 stars.
I so wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I found the writing style didn't let me into the story as much as I wanted. Also, for a sci-fi, it's light. It's speculative, so maybe hits that sub-genre, but the author opts out of giving us immersive detail. What detail we have of the virtual word is lyrical and vibrant, but it does lack on imagination and daring. We're being invited into a virtual world set in the future, where we're told anything is possible. Unfortunately, we're presented with basically a copy of normal. I have a feeling the author maybe trying to portray a sense for things lost, but I don't buy into that totally as the virtual world is not about what's lost, but about the current period.
Things I did like were the themes on existence - when is life life? What is life? Can life be virtual and not organic? That interested me, and I thought this story explored those questions well. Also, the ethics on should technology permit organic death to create immortal digital life? I think one day those questions will be discussed widely. I'm not sure it will be when this novel is set, but one day it will occur.
Yet, while I did enjoy those themes, I thought the story rushed the narrative some, squeezed it into a tighter timeframe that seemed true. This novel could have spanned a longer space, and still been as good. Maybe even better. It seemed a race to empty the world, and as much as I want to accept the author's take on this, I tend to think it would be more a crawl. Still, you can't say Grach Chan doesn't lack for imagination, because this story certainly shows a structured story that speculates the notion of digital existence succeeding organic life.
November 17, 2022
Absolutely petrifying reality, especially as a Melbournian and a healthcare worker seeing those two aspects of life changing. The writing was absolutely remarkable, every single aspect of this book focussing on something so difficult to truly explore but managing to do so with such ease? And still be a reasonable 275 pages despite having so much depth?
Honestly, this felt like the most accurate representation of a digital future I’ve read about, and I am equally horrified by the way that uploading is literally a physical death and yet no one seems to consider it that in this society? And the way the children are being uploaded, absolutely horrific - so much room for ethical debate in every single aspect, but touched on just enough to show how despicable such a thing is. Just entirely thrilling and terrifying, especially since I know I would eventually succumb to uploading to not be left behind but I would never be able to accept the reality of leaving the wonders of the physical world. Who could fathom leaving such a beautiful place? Especially Tao-yi being a person involved in touring the wonders of nature herself? I wish I was a Tao-yi, but I know I’m more of an Evelyn in reality.
Plus don’t get me STARTED on the way the world had the potential to rebuild itself because of the way everyone had a decided to upload - I could see another book in the future about the rich masses of people who would return to “meatspace” simply to bask in the return to nature. There’s just so much further exploring that could be done, but it was such a perfect ending. Incredible. I have SO MANY THOUGHTS!!! And now I’ll have a signed copy to keep in my library forever, thank you for this piece of art. Incredible.
Honestly, this felt like the most accurate representation of a digital future I’ve read about, and I am equally horrified by the way that uploading is literally a physical death and yet no one seems to consider it that in this society? And the way the children are being uploaded, absolutely horrific - so much room for ethical debate in every single aspect, but touched on just enough to show how despicable such a thing is. Just entirely thrilling and terrifying, especially since I know I would eventually succumb to uploading to not be left behind but I would never be able to accept the reality of leaving the wonders of the physical world. Who could fathom leaving such a beautiful place? Especially Tao-yi being a person involved in touring the wonders of nature herself? I wish I was a Tao-yi, but I know I’m more of an Evelyn in reality.
Plus don’t get me STARTED on the way the world had the potential to rebuild itself because of the way everyone had a decided to upload - I could see another book in the future about the rich masses of people who would return to “meatspace” simply to bask in the return to nature. There’s just so much further exploring that could be done, but it was such a perfect ending. Incredible. I have SO MANY THOUGHTS!!! And now I’ll have a signed copy to keep in my library forever, thank you for this piece of art. Incredible.
November 17, 2022
Dystopia in "meat space" , the real world, and utopia in the virtual reality world "Gaia". I liked that it was set in Melbourne and that the heroines heritage was Malaysian Chinese and there were also biracial characters. Touched on ableism and disability, eg don't judge disabled for wanting to upload themselves & live entirely in Utopian Gaia. Interesting that Gaia is "crime free'" no mention of scams/violence so not like today's internet/video games. However there are so many themes that could be brought into this type of fiction,I think the author chose wisely which themes appear in the book
January 6, 2023
A fascinating take on the dystopian future. A bit too techno-babble-y for my liking but I did enjoy the human story. To upload with everyone else, all those you love, or stay with the dead & dying, what a question. Do you become less human by remaining? What makes the human in humanity? All very D & M. I'm not sure which road I would take.
Mostly we are left to guess at Tao-Yi's motivations from her actions, Xin-Yi & Navin being the most obvious stressors for her, but I think we need to see a bit more into her reasonings. I'd also like to know more about what's happening in the 'meat space' world. There is room for continuation, so perhaps we will learn more.
Mostly we are left to guess at Tao-Yi's motivations from her actions, Xin-Yi & Navin being the most obvious stressors for her, but I think we need to see a bit more into her reasonings. I'd also like to know more about what's happening in the 'meat space' world. There is room for continuation, so perhaps we will learn more.
June 6, 2023
I can see this doing wonderful things for the Australian sci-fi scene, but sadly I didn't love this as much as I was hoping.
Very interesting topics of the Metaverse, capitalism, disability, climate change, and the nature of humanity itself. I just don't think it did quite enough on any one of these topics - the climate was probably the most prominent but I feel it could have engaged with these ideas more. I think it could have done this by having the book be vignettes about characters in different situations - our current protagonist Tao-Yi but also Nivan as someone seeing the digital sphere as a way to escape pain and the limitations of the physical body; someone who gave up everything for a digital life but then realised immortality and Gaia weren't for them; someone too poor to afford the technology; or someone who lives off grid and finds out one day no one is in their small town anymore because they've all gone digital. I think following multiple characters could have breathed more life into this world and gone more in depth on the big - and very relevant - themes that the book covers.
Not to say Tao-Yi's story wasn't interesting, but it did feel like we were being held at a bit of a distance. I didn't really feel invested in her relationship with Nivan, but I did like that the idea of not going digital helped her want to connect more with her family that she never really knew and now never will. It reminded me a bit of The Memory of Animals and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - but like Memory of Animals I wanted it to really GO THERE, and like Tomorrow x3 there wasn't quite the emotional punch I was hoping for.
Would be really interested to see where this author goes from here, and I am glad this book is getting a lot of attention and praise. If nothing else I feel it would be a great conversation starter and is an incredibly prescient warning about what our lives might soon look like.
Very interesting topics of the Metaverse, capitalism, disability, climate change, and the nature of humanity itself. I just don't think it did quite enough on any one of these topics - the climate was probably the most prominent but I feel it could have engaged with these ideas more. I think it could have done this by having the book be vignettes about characters in different situations - our current protagonist Tao-Yi but also Nivan as someone seeing the digital sphere as a way to escape pain and the limitations of the physical body; someone who gave up everything for a digital life but then realised immortality and Gaia weren't for them; someone too poor to afford the technology; or someone who lives off grid and finds out one day no one is in their small town anymore because they've all gone digital. I think following multiple characters could have breathed more life into this world and gone more in depth on the big - and very relevant - themes that the book covers.
Not to say Tao-Yi's story wasn't interesting, but it did feel like we were being held at a bit of a distance. I didn't really feel invested in her relationship with Nivan, but I did like that the idea of not going digital helped her want to connect more with her family that she never really knew and now never will. It reminded me a bit of The Memory of Animals and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - but like Memory of Animals I wanted it to really GO THERE, and like Tomorrow x3 there wasn't quite the emotional punch I was hoping for.
Would be really interested to see where this author goes from here, and I am glad this book is getting a lot of attention and praise. If nothing else I feel it would be a great conversation starter and is an incredibly prescient warning about what our lives might soon look like.
March 31, 2023
A dystopian Melbourne in the year 2080, where the virtual world is the way to escape the devastating environmental wasteland that has become the real world.
As technology and immersion into this virtual world develops further, the opportunity to leave your body and exist solely in the created Gaia arrives.
For Tao-Yi, she is torn between her partner Navin's adoption of this world, and herself and her mother in the real world. As her mother's health declines, resisting the online option, connection to family, her story and memories is something Tao-Yi is not yet finished with.
For Navin, however, the chance the full Gaia Uploading offers is the escape from his ailing body, racked with pain and dysfunction via kidney failure. His choice is automatic and clear, to be rid of his malfunctioning body, and live the life he has always dreamed of. But Tao-Yi's reluctance is not something he anticipated.
An examination of our adoption of the fast paced virtual world, incredible world building, and the physiological and emotional complexities of such options. A bleak depiction of our future damaged world, and the automated and unreal possibilities technology may well afford us.
As technology and immersion into this virtual world develops further, the opportunity to leave your body and exist solely in the created Gaia arrives.
For Tao-Yi, she is torn between her partner Navin's adoption of this world, and herself and her mother in the real world. As her mother's health declines, resisting the online option, connection to family, her story and memories is something Tao-Yi is not yet finished with.
For Navin, however, the chance the full Gaia Uploading offers is the escape from his ailing body, racked with pain and dysfunction via kidney failure. His choice is automatic and clear, to be rid of his malfunctioning body, and live the life he has always dreamed of. But Tao-Yi's reluctance is not something he anticipated.
An examination of our adoption of the fast paced virtual world, incredible world building, and the physiological and emotional complexities of such options. A bleak depiction of our future damaged world, and the automated and unreal possibilities technology may well afford us.
March 27, 2023
I love speculative fiction - perhaps particularly when it's bleak and somewhat dystopian - so this book hooked me immediately. I loved the exploration of how technology might impact a society that's living through environmental collapse. This book also asked questions like: What is a "real" self? What is the relationship between our bodies and our sense of identity? How do we maintain relationships with other people when our self constantly shifts over time?
4.5 stars.
4.5 stars.
February 14, 2024
In 2085 Tao-Yi and her partner Navin live in an increasingly virtual world, they enter a world called Gia during the day, where they log in to work, socialise and for entertainment. I love the way this book had my imagination spinning and thinking of the very real questions Tao-Yi faced when most people on earth were deciding to upload to Gia for good and leave their physical bodies behind. Topics of grief, death, chronic illness, pain, friendship, love and what it means to be human, I thought it was fantastic.
March 10, 2023
This book really gets into your head, a strange mix of terrifying and empathetic that somehow makes this seem exactly like the way our world might, in fact, end.
Which is sorta strange because the book isn't actually about the end of the world, that's just the setting. The book is about that painful and lovely balancing act of love through change. How much can people tether together through evolving versions of themselves, and how do you decide when to let go? Our therapist protagonist Tao-Yi navigates relationships with both her partner Navin and her mother. Due in no small part to chronic pain and disability, Navin finds liberation in virtual life which repels Tao-Yi, pulling this deeply enamored couple into different lives. At the same time, Tao-Yi uses remote AI monitoring tech to stay tethered to her mother, whose depression shifts their relationship ever over time. Tao-Yi's day job, as an authenticity consultant, helping people find a stable representation in a world of constant reinvention, doubles us down on the themes.
Both narratives, the emotional arc of Tao-Yi trying to find her own stable ground, and the dystopian story of humanity's obliteration/elevation (all depending on perspective) are compelling, but it is the latter that increasingly steals the show. Chan - whose own day job is psychiatrist - has an uncanny capacity to depict how our choices on masse are about seeking pleasure, company, comfort and stability, and how this might play out. The portrayal of disability here is excellent, and encourages to the reader to understand the validity of various points of view. Because she gets the people so right, it can obscure at times some gaps in the broader story - plausible economic and political background to events is hard to imagine and certainly not detailed, the simplicity with which neural patterns are reproduced disconnected from the bodies they are designed to run was never addressed - but you just don't care about such things because the story is that good.
Which is sorta strange because the book isn't actually about the end of the world, that's just the setting. The book is about that painful and lovely balancing act of love through change. How much can people tether together through evolving versions of themselves, and how do you decide when to let go? Our therapist protagonist Tao-Yi navigates relationships with both her partner Navin and her mother. Due in no small part to chronic pain and disability, Navin finds liberation in virtual life which repels Tao-Yi, pulling this deeply enamored couple into different lives. At the same time, Tao-Yi uses remote AI monitoring tech to stay tethered to her mother, whose depression shifts their relationship ever over time. Tao-Yi's day job, as an authenticity consultant, helping people find a stable representation in a world of constant reinvention, doubles us down on the themes.
Both narratives, the emotional arc of Tao-Yi trying to find her own stable ground, and the dystopian story of humanity's obliteration/elevation (all depending on perspective) are compelling, but it is the latter that increasingly steals the show. Chan - whose own day job is psychiatrist - has an uncanny capacity to depict how our choices on masse are about seeking pleasure, company, comfort and stability, and how this might play out. The portrayal of disability here is excellent, and encourages to the reader to understand the validity of various points of view. Because she gets the people so right, it can obscure at times some gaps in the broader story - plausible economic and political background to events is hard to imagine and certainly not detailed, the simplicity with which neural patterns are reproduced disconnected from the bodies they are designed to run was never addressed - but you just don't care about such things because the story is that good.
April 23, 2023
How I enjoyed this novel!
First off, I love that a novel based in the future is in Melbourne - when place names were mentioned I actually know where they are. Such a novelty.
I also enjoyed the premise of the whole thing.
Personally, I wouldn't elect to go, but maybe a couple of my sons would...?
Anyway, two big thumbs up from me.
First off, I love that a novel based in the future is in Melbourne - when place names were mentioned I actually know where they are. Such a novelty.
I also enjoyed the premise of the whole thing.
Personally, I wouldn't elect to go, but maybe a couple of my sons would...?
Anyway, two big thumbs up from me.
January 5, 2023
As this book is set in Melbourne, in the not so distant future, I feel like I truly could relate to it which probably bounced the rating up slightly. I would give it 5 stars because it made me cry. But it's a 4.75. It wasn't perfect.
I definitely would be the last to upload, or not upload ever. I'm far too sentimental. I hope this never happens. It probably will.
I loved it much more than I expected to. Great start to my year. Except the crying.
I definitely would be the last to upload, or not upload ever. I'm far too sentimental. I hope this never happens. It probably will.
I loved it much more than I expected to. Great start to my year. Except the crying.
May 13, 2024
tender, moving, existential in ways I won’t forget for a while. this book has made me so hungry for more scifi form diaspora writers - the way identity, mental illness, migration all intersect in this story meant so much to me. it was so refreshing and impactful.
March 3, 2023
Scary! Believable!
May 24, 2023
Such an interesting concept! Unfortunately I don’t think we’re too far off from this world. I wished for a bit more closer in the end but still good.
October 5, 2022
I absolutely adored reading this book. It had everything I enjoyed - sci-fi, contemporary, romance. It was great to see a world of what-if, and the fact it’s based in Aus makes it even better! (Also gives you something to think about because the story could definitely be a reality in the future).
November 6, 2023
A fresh take on uploading into the metaverse, focused on those who stay behind. Love, family, and climate change provide a satisfying backdrop to a story of a woman caught between two worlds.
July 8, 2023
This was an interesting book. Well worth the effort. The author built interesting characters and a strong believable plot line.
March 8, 2024
What an incredible book. So beautifully written, I won’t forget about this one for awhile.
July 23, 2024
This is a haunting futuristic read that questions what it is to be human and what it is to grieve.
Tao-Yi lives in Melbourne sometime in the late 2000s when catastrophic climate change has made its impact known. So much so that most work and spend most of their time in an online world known as Gaia where "going outside" doesn't require protective gear and an air filter. As the tech progresses, Tao-Yi finds herself resisting such complete immersion in small ways.
Chan has crafted a fascinating world, as someone who lives in Melbourne I was so aware of the ways she subtlety altered the city I'm so familiar with. The Yarra more hologram than truly present, a passing mention of an altered Federation Square (a tribute to people murdered in an American bombing?? I wish that had been expanded on) and that's not to mention the slightly altered language of the future, the real world being referred to as "meatspace" was top tier.
Where this read sort of let me down was that it's ending and it's beginning sort of few like seperate entities. While Chan's characters are strong and the general thread of her narrative is mostly there, it does feel like the message that the book is trying to convey is entirely clear throughout. Because though you do find yourself wondering about what does make one human or what it is to grieve the narrative does get a little distracted, some of the side characters not entirely serving their purpose.
I was engaged and often feeling a little bereft but somehow I feel like I lost out more on what the narrative promised than it delivered.
Tao-Yi lives in Melbourne sometime in the late 2000s when catastrophic climate change has made its impact known. So much so that most work and spend most of their time in an online world known as Gaia where "going outside" doesn't require protective gear and an air filter. As the tech progresses, Tao-Yi finds herself resisting such complete immersion in small ways.
Chan has crafted a fascinating world, as someone who lives in Melbourne I was so aware of the ways she subtlety altered the city I'm so familiar with. The Yarra more hologram than truly present, a passing mention of an altered Federation Square (a tribute to people murdered in an American bombing?? I wish that had been expanded on) and that's not to mention the slightly altered language of the future, the real world being referred to as "meatspace" was top tier.
Where this read sort of let me down was that it's ending and it's beginning sort of few like seperate entities. While Chan's characters are strong and the general thread of her narrative is mostly there, it does feel like the message that the book is trying to convey is entirely clear throughout. Because though you do find yourself wondering about what does make one human or what it is to grieve the narrative does get a little distracted, some of the side characters not entirely serving their purpose.
I was engaged and often feeling a little bereft but somehow I feel like I lost out more on what the narrative promised than it delivered.
October 12, 2022
I'm surprised by all the reviewers who unreservedly loved this book. While I was really compelled by the future world put forth here, I felt at such a distance from the characters, especially our protagonist. I had no idea what she was feeling or why she was making the choices she did. This made for a frustrating read. I was also surprised by the nonexistence of stakes. In this world, I could imagine much more interesting points of view and more compelling storylines than the one that was ultimately chosen. The blurb also made it seem like the main character's mother would be a major character with her own point of view, which would have been really interesting, but this avenue was not taken up. It was really unclear why the main character cared about her boyfriend, Navin, or her mother at all, since her actions were so affectless and unexplained (and she barely visited her mother, and when she did, they barely spoke). Ultimately, this book disappointed me, but I was very engaged in the world created (even as I personally disagreed with the way the author thought people would act in such a world).
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