Questions About Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (9)

For those who have read this, did you think there was much point in creating the alternative 1982?

IvanOpinion If you haven't yet read the book the following comments might seem like spoilers, but they aren't. My point is that the changes in 1982 serve no real …moreIf you haven't yet read the book the following comments might seem like spoilers, but they aren't. My point is that the changes in 1982 serve no real purpose in the book, so knowing about them won't spoil your enjoyment of the book.

My own view is that although it made me smile to think of a world where Lennon was not killed, so the Beatles got back together, I'm not sure if there was much point beyond this.

Clearly it was crucial to the book for it to be set in a reality where technology is a little ahead of ours - at least the many technology advances required to enable making a convincing artificial human. But this technology is probably still 20-50 years away from our 2019, so it seemed implausible that this could have happened in 1982, even if Turing had not died in the 50s and even if he made a number of breakthroughs in science.

It was kind of fun to 'meet' this Turing, but I'm not sure it served any purpose other than being wish fulfilment.

Most of the other changes were just one-line throwaways: JFK survived, Carter beat Reagan, etc. The only changes that were more than just 'set dressing' were Falklands/Thatcher/Tony Benn, but again there didn't seem to be much point. Yes, some of these changes seemed to create a world closer to our 2019, but so what? The parallels with, say, Iraq/May/Corbin/Brexit were not really developed to say anything particularly profound about those things.

Nothing wrong with some fun "what if" alternatives, but I got the impression that the book was striving to be a bit deeper than that. I don't think it achieved this.(less)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Mila It crossed my mind for a moment, but then I thought no, Adam wouldn't do that because he's not allowed to cause harm to a human. But then again, he di…moreIt crossed my mind for a moment, but then I thought no, Adam wouldn't do that because he's not allowed to cause harm to a human. But then again, he did break a bit of Charlie. Hmmm. I think Adam was busy that night giving away money.(less)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Sheila Alan Turing plays a small part, but an interesting one. His presence in the novel at first struck me as a gimmick, but then I appreciated the imaginat…moreAlan Turing plays a small part, but an interesting one. His presence in the novel at first struck me as a gimmick, but then I appreciated the imagination employed by McEwan, here and throughout the novel. This novel kept me engrossed during the early days of 'lockdown'!(less)

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Do you think the author means for us to sympathize with Charlie, or is this more of a satire where our flaws are made evident by the actions of the characters?

Victoria Brogdon I'm not sure what Ian McEwan intended but I never once felt sympathy for Charlie. He's a rather poor excuse of a human. Perhaps that was the intent: t…moreI'm not sure what Ian McEwan intended but I never once felt sympathy for Charlie. He's a rather poor excuse of a human. Perhaps that was the intent: to make Adam a better "trans"human in comparison. And that is the whole point of transhumanism.(less)

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What if any significance are we to attach to Miranda's interest in the Corn Laws? Is this anything other than a gesture toward Brexit in McEwan's alternate reality?

Cavak I took it to be a parallel to any policy that can be divisive, although Brexit would be a simple modern example. Reminded me of a similar conversation…moreI took it to be a parallel to any policy that can be divisive, although Brexit would be a simple modern example. Reminded me of a similar conversation that occurred in his earlier work, Saturday.

Really, I think the conversation was supposed to highlight how frightfully easy it is for a proposal to break people's boundaries or relationships. Regardless of whatever their positions could be.(less)

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