“The thing is, May,’ the hum said, ‘the goal of advertising is to rip a hole in your heart, so it can then fill that hole with plastic, or with any other materials that can be yanked out of the earth, and, after brief sojourns as objects of desire, be converted to waste.”
Hi folks,
Hum is a speculative fiction book. In my experience with speculative fiction you never really know what is happening as you are reading and the book ending is going to leave you with more questions than answers. Both of those things happened with Hum for me. The main character May is a wife and mother of two minor children who has recently lost her job. She lives in a future where intelligent robots are an integral part of society. In an attempt to earn some money for her family and temporarily pay off some of their debts she agrees to participate in an experiment that alters her face so it cannot be recognized by surveillance.What could go wrong right? When I understood what was happening it seemed as if the book was exploring the weighty themes of capitalism, state surveillance, technology and even motherhood. That was a lot to pack in a book that is under 300 pages. Sometimes it worked for me and sometimes it didn’t and again that ending. I’ve come to realize that I’m at the stage in my life where I need things tied up and sorted. It doesn’t have to be with a bow but I don’t want any loose ends in any part of my life. I gave Hum 2 out of 5 stars. This is definitely a case of it’s me not the book because if speculative fiction is your jam this would probably be one you’d enjoy.
Have a great week!
Stardate:2600028.06
