Tell the Machine Goodnight
Katie Williams
Rated: 3.47 of 5 stars
3.47
· 30 ratings · 299 pages · Published: 19 Jun 2018
Meanwhile, there's Pearl's teenage son, Rhett. A sensitive kid who has forged an unconventional path through adolescence, Rhett seems to find greater satisfaction in being unhappy. The very rejection of joy is his own kind of "pursuit of happiness." As his mother, Pearl wants nothing more than to help Rhett--but is it for his sake or for hers? Certainly it would make Pearl happier. Regardless, her son is one person whose emotional life does not fall under the parameters of her job--not as happiness technician, and not as mother, either.
Told from an alternating cast of endearing characters from within Pearl and Rhett's world, Tell the Machine Goodnight delivers a smartly moving and entertaining story about relationships and the ways that they can most surprise and define us. Along the way, Katie Williams playfully illuminates our national obsession with positive psychology, our reliance on quick fixes and technology. What happens when these obsessions begin to overlap? With warmth, humor, and a clever touch, Williams taps into our collective unease about the modern world and allows us see it a little more clearly.
Tagged as:
- sc-fi 4
- dystopia 3
- literary fiction 3
- family 3
- contemporary 3
- technology 2
- near future 2
- magical realism 2
- realistic 2
- funny 2
- lgbtq+ 2
- drama 1
- female mc 1
- coming of age 1
- psychological 1
- futuristic 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- young adult 2
- book 1