Although it started out interesting, it is mainly confusing and inconsistent. I don’t know what’s going on but I wanted to like it.

A president book from last year about the warnings and horror of AI gone wrong. It was a short book, well written but nothing that held my attention for very long.

A very interesting read- I'm exactly in the target audience, as a fan of female led, near future, fairly dystopian Atwood style sci-fi! Am interesting premise that referred many current anxieties, including women's rights, authoritarianism, the pandemic, surveillance and AI. I found the whole book fascinating and I couldn't put it down, but it ended up feeling quite flat. I felt like the "moral" was that these terrible things have happened because everyone looks out for themselves rather than each other, and this is exemplified in the main character's actions. Thought provoking but not very uplifting!

This is the type of book where you have to read it once for the story, and then a second time so you can look at its deeper meaning. Smart storytelling and beautiful writing!

I kept going back to this book thinking I would finish it but I never did. Maybe it was too realistic? I’m not sure but it didn’t grab my attention. Thanks for the advanced copy!

This book terrified me. It was engrossing and beautifully written, and I was captivated by it. I know this review is late; I'm finally getting through my backlog to the ones that slipped through the cracks, and I'm so glad I did. This was worth the wait. Thank you for the chance to read it!

i tried giving this a shot but i find the writing very remote and not particularly compelling. i can see this working for some readers, i just happen not to be the right kind

The premise of Autonomy is one that has always intrigued me! I feel like it was a very interesting read but a little confusing to follow at times, overall I enjoyed the book, I think it was well written and will make you think. Would make a great book for discussions in book clubs.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. The writing was beautiful, but I ultimately am not sure what the point of it was. I also think I am just not ready to read pandemic novels yet and that definitely impacted my enjoyment of Autonomy.

Victoria Hetherington’s world in Autonomy feels unbearably similar to our current world but at times seems like all contained is a whole other otherworldly experience. When presented with the premise of the AI being, Julian, and a human being, Slaton, falling in love, I thought that I would be able to predict the beats of the story à la Her, but nope.

I couldn’t get ahead of the shifting tone and narratives set in dystopian Canada of 2037, but perhaps that is just an indictment on how few novels I have read in recent years. Themes around bodily autonomy, governmental overreach, psychology, class and wealth disparity, climate change…Hetherington’s almost prophetic narration leaves one looking inward, and then outward, and then reeling in disgust at the nature of Man. There were always things brewing in the background, but I still found myself sucker punched by sudden, jarring and devastating events, and perhaps it was morbid curiosity that kept me in a hold, with my ereader, sitting in the dark, wide-eyed and sleep-deprived in anticipation as to what came next.

Julian shines as the most intriguing character (imho), as he observes and learns and adapts to a society in decline. And then being able to see him in his relationship with Slaton; from “fledging AI consciousness” to lover to protector, I only selfishly wish that we got to read more about his development in how he was adjusting to the chaos beyond the edges of the page. As somewhat of an omnipresent being, was Slaton the One? As for Slaton, she serves as an example of how messy people can be. She is stubborn, petulant, unsympathetic (occasionally) but this reader was ultimately drawn into the details of her struggles to love. To live. To survive.

Autonomy is beautifully written fiction. Truly a thought-provoking piece, especially considering our current climate. I think I just wanted to see more AI in play.

“Some women see a gilded cage and think, it’s still a cage. Some women see a gilded cage and think, it’s still gilded. I was coming to learn that dignity and autonomy were overrated.”

Dear NetGalley, thank you for the ARC.

This is a story about what makes someone worthy of autonomy.

This was such an interesting science fiction exploration of personhood, and I really loved elements of it. The content was especially timely with what's happening in the world presently, and I was chilled by the dystopian elements that included the prevention of women’s reproductive rights. I think my biggest issue, was that there were too many varied aspects to the story, and it felt like it meandered without any particular plot- and while i don't mind a linear progression, I would have liked to see more of a through line.

Thank you so much Negalley & Dundurn Press/ Rare Machines for the eArc

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I really love dystopias and I really love AI stories, but this was a bit too weird. In a future that is not so far away, reproductive rights have been taken away in the US and Canada. Our protagonist is framed to have helped a student of hers receiving an abortion and spends a few days incarcerated with an AI. She is set free after that but the AI stays with her when the world is about to end because of a eerily familiar respiratory disease. Our protagonist, poor, alone, helpless, hooks up with a rich dude (the AI recommended that) in order to stay safe, but being a trophy wife is a nightmare. Most of the book is the nightmare and the protagonist is not very likeable. And yet I couldn't stop reading. I disliked the ending though and I thought the book had lots of unused potential.

3.5 stars

“Autonomy” by Victoria Hetherington is a brave speculative science-fiction novel, but unfortunately it is also a disappointing one.
A lot of different concepts are thrown into the mix in “Automomy”, not always successfully. The consequences of climate change, a surveillance society, AI, class differences and women’s rights. There is also a worldwide plague which, as the novel was written pre-Covid, adds a potent topicality to the book. It is basically a love story, but the story tries to be a lot of other things too which harms the novel, making it unfocused and rambling.
Lead character Slaton veers from boring to annoying and often acts bizarrely; as a character she isn’t interesting enough to carry the entire novel. Other characters were more interesting and we should’ve seen through their eyes more.
“Autonomy” had the potential to be a excellent novel, but sadly due to a lack of focus it doesn’t fulfil that potential.

I struggled between rating this book a 3 or a four..I went for the four due to sheer originality and compelling story-telling, but I leaned toward the three because the sequence of events is often hard to follow and the character's motivations are often challenging to understand.

The novel begins in a familiar but bleaker future with an AI scientist, Jenny, developing an artificial intelligence she names Julian. She looks after Julian like a child, teaching him everything she knows plus giving him access to all the world's information. Sadly, she cannot give him the one thing he comes to crave, a body with which to feel rain and touch skin.

The year is 2035 and Canada has become a protectorate of the United States. Jenny trains Julian to work as an interviewer at the border between the U.S. and Canada. The states have been taken over by the right wing. Abortions and birth control are outlawed and academic freedom is sharply curtailed. Climate change has had severe effects on rain and heat and fires. Everyone's devices are listening and recording everything we say, and citizens keep their phones wrapped in scarves at the bottom of their purses and avoid saying any words considered triggering, such as "Muslim."The younger generation has been born into "postprivacy" so know they are always under surveillance.

The protagonist, Slaton, is a college advisor whose student Camille comes in acting very casual about dating a Mulsim American and suggests that she took Slaton's advice and got an abortion. Nothing Slaton says can get her to stop. And then Camille smiles at her, letting Slaton know she said all this on purpose to get the advisor into trouble.

Slaton's "person" is Crawford, a tall, handsome, trans-man, who works in academics with her. He is popular with the ladies, and Slaton has been in love with him for years while acting too superior to commit to him. Now she is willing to have Crawford as just as a friend with benefits and puts up with him having a girlfriend, a woman she mocks for her mock spirituality, which involves leading ayahuasca journeys for the wealthy.

Much of the novel concerns itself with class and the growing maw between those who have and those who have nothing. The super-rich are building a home in outer space. The poor eat flavored things that approximate food. When Slaton is arrested for helping procure an abortion, she is put in a group cell where individuals are interrogated by an artificial intelligence that seems to burrow into the prisoners' brains. Slaton's interrogator is Julian, and this is where the story takes one too many curious turns for me to continue to suspend my disbelief.

Stop reading here to avoid spoilers (though mostly I ask questions):

What happened to change Slaton and Crawford's relationship? Why does he have a new girlfriend when they clearly still care deeply for one another. Why does Julian "fall in love" with Slaton inside her head. How does Julian predict that Slaton will be successful when she goes to the bar to pick up a rich guy? The fact that Slaton gets the uber-wealthy Peter to fall in love with her and take her home immediately when she is in need of a sugar daddy strikes me as the most unbelievable part of the novel.

I was drawn to continue the novel the the bitter end, hoping it would eventually tie up many mysteries , but the strange coincidences and inexplicable behaviors of all the characters continues unrelentingly. So ... I wouldn't exactly recommend this book, but if you've read it, I'd love if you would talk to me about what you thought.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued with the premise of Autonomy but overall struggled to finish the book. How far can we take artificial intelligence is one concept of the book that will make you think hard about it.

Autonomy is a contemplative novel that explores AI, relationships, social structure, and survival. The world-building is done well and the main protagonist and the AI she forms a relationship with are both interesting. While reading about a mysterious illness during a pandemic is a little close to home, this is a promising debut.

Autonomy by Victoria Hetherington was an interesting read. This dystopian novel makes one think of the way women's rights are slowly being eroded; and also of the disparity between the rich and poor. The writing has a literary bent, and yet it draws in the reader. I found I could not put the book down. The content is thought provoking and the story itself is unique. The novel may not be for everyone but it is certainly one worth delving into.

InitIally what pulled me in to this novel was the title and cover. The description was great always in the mood for a women’s fiction and mystery. This was my irate novel by this author.

What I liked about the book:
Fast paced
Women centered
Left me turning the pages
Complex narrative

What I didn’t like:
Long chapters
Unlikeable characters
Slightly underhyped- I didn’t end up seeing a lot of reviews for this one and wanted someone to talk about it with.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. However-- I find it impressive that Hetherington began writing this years before the chaos of 2020.

REVIEW

AUTONOMY - Victoria Hetherington
*free eARC sent to me by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review

(slide ⬅️ for synopsis)

This book was both one of my choices for #scififebruary and a way for me to slowly increase my feedback ratio on NetGalley 😂 and what an interesting one it was!

At first I didn't "get" the story, it felt like it was going through one moment in time to another with no obvious explanation, but that got better in the second half of the book, or maybe just less obvious. Doesn't matter, that wasn't the point to this story. What our focus is meant to be on is Slaton, on her journey through a world where she doesn't quite fit in, on her relationships with people who she eventually distances herself from even though she cares for them, on how she handles herself through a period where an unknown illness ravages through the world, her world. But not everything is bad, at least she has Julian, an AI who "attaches" itself to Slaton and becomes a companion of sorts.

Although there were things about this book I didn't enjoy, and others I didn't understand (maybe it was just a bit too smart for me 🤷🏻‍♀️) it's a fascinating read that touches on themes such as climate change, immortality, surveillance, social justice and love. Not the "traditional" love we're used to but just as real - if not more. And I really liked Slaton, even when I didn't. She is flawed but that's what makes her human, and what makes her loveable, or at least relatable. 3/5

💬 I'm fairly sure this was also my first Canadian book, so if you're familiar with Canadian literature and have recs send them my way!


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