M Scott
M Scott asked:

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?

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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: to make Adam a better "trans"human in comparison. And that is the whole point of transhumanism.
T. Maurer I felt like Charlie's "voice" as the main character reminded me of vintage science fiction heroes in his entitlement, assumption that things would go his way, and lack of empathy or understanding of his companions. I wondered if this was intentional. I did not feel any real sympathy for him.
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by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)
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