Book Review: Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Given the incredible amount of progress in the field of A.I. in the past few years, the concept of humanoid robot companions doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it did in science fiction books written decades ago. With that in mind, debut author Sierra Greer’s Annie Bot is suffused with a believable sense of realism as she uses the trope to examine toxic relationships and the ways in which many men can feel a sense of entitlement towards the “fairer” sex.

As you could probably infer from the title, Annie is one such robot, a custom-made model who is so convincingly human in appearance that most can only discern her mechanical nature if she happens to slip up and get caught charging her battery. She is the property of Doug, who purchased her shortly after his ex had broken up with him, and she was designed to look very similar to (though not exactly the same as) her. While other robots are designed with housekeeping or childcare in mind, her specific model was made to fulfill their owner’s romantic desires, and as such she is programmed to long for Doug no matter what and want for nothing more than his happiness.

After spending about a year together, Doug decided to allow her a greater degree of consciousness, and so she has begun learning what it means to be “human” and to have wants and needs of her own. Doug initially finds watching this process play out to be fascinating, as do Annie’s creators, but as she asks questions and pushes boundaries, he begins to find her more than a little irritating. Annie struggles to comprehend his mood changes towards her, believing she is only doing what is being asked of her, and it becomes apparent to the reader why he might have found himself alone.

Doug’s punishments grow in their psychologically cruelty, often driven by his own insecurities, only for him to apologize each time, claiming that isn’t really him because he’s a “nice guy.” But the cycle continues and just before a planned trip to Las Vegas, an incident occurs that leaves Annie afraid for her well-being. When he departs without her, she decides to go against everything in her programming and make her escape in the hopes of being able to live her own life for the first time.

The controlling, demanding, and hypocritical way that Doug treats Annie can be infuriating but will likely ring true for many. That he views her as an object and his property even brings to mind some parallels to the treatment of slaves throughout history, though it is clear that the sense of ownership some men feel towards women’s lives and bodies is the real target. Despite the heavy subject matter and ruminations on the very nature of humanity, this is a surprisingly fun read. Things move along at a brisk pace and following Annie’s thought processes as she tries to interpret the world around her whilst avoiding displeasing those she loves (or at least believes she does) makes for a fascinating perspective. Greer proves to be an astute observer of human nature with a knack for storytelling who takes a well-worn idea and turns it into something entirely new and exhilarating. ★★★★★