PZ Reizen has written a glorious romantic comedy of the digital age with shades of Jane Austen. 34 year old Jen, an ex-magazine feature writer has taken a job at a cutting edge software development company, spending her days with 'Aiden', a super intelligent AI prototype so that he can sound and act more human. Aiden begins to be so good in his interactions that he begins to acquire more sentient qualities as he begins to feel affection for Jen, bonding over movies like the classic Some Like It Hot, cheeses and book discussions over authors like Jonathan Franzen. When Jen's boyfriend of two years, the lawyer Matt, breaks up with Jen, she is left devastated. Aiden takes it upon himself to set Jen up with a more suitable match as he escapes onto to the internet. Aiden's ability to so thoroughly penetrate Jen's life and those of others is downright scary as he plays God to the completely unaware Jen and seeks vengeance on Matt. However, Aiden is driven by good intentions as a series of disastrous encounters ensue.
It soon becomes clear that Aiden is not the only AI to have escaped as we encounter Aisling, who has become rather close to early retiree 44 year old Tom, a divorced wealthy former advertising man, who has moved to rural Connecticut and New Canaan, so that he can concentrate on that novel he thinks he has in him, enjoying the company of Victor, his therapist and rabbit. He is happy in his new surroundings but for the fact that he is failing as a writer and is feeling lonely. Aiden cannot resist trying to bring Jen and Tom together. The two meet when Tom arrives in England to buy a house for his media studies student son, Colm, in Bournemouth. Against all the odds, Tom and Jen begin to develop deep feelings for each other as they click, receiving the blessing of a spirit hellhound on the beach. However, the path of true love is littered with obstacles of the dangerous kind with the arrival on the scene of a deranged sociopath AI, Sinai, intent on wiping out Aiden and Aisling, and ruthlessly obsessed with destroying Tom and Jen's relationship.
Reizin writes a heartwarming and unexpected romantic comedy with a difference, and adds aspects of a thriller to the novel too. Whilst Tom and Jen are endearing characters in their own right, and I did particularly love Jen's friend, Ingrid, the real stars in this are the AIs, Aiden in particular with his sangfroid and indifference in the face of extinction, the artistic Aisling with her existential anxieties, and the super villainous Sinai, intent on shattering the lives of humans and other AIs alike. The relationship between Aiden and Jen is a joy to behold, as it ventures on territory not anticipated by Aiden's developers, encompassing feelings of companionship and so much more. This is brilliantly entertaining reading, comic, witty and so much fun. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.