TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY

A Seattle teen conceals her true identity as the long-abandoned daughter of a celebrated tech giant to gain entry into his household.

Eleanor feels on the outside of her relationships with her emotionally abusive mother and seemingly perfect older sister, Rosalind. She’s even more distant from her famous father, Hugo Harrison. But Hugo’s work in AI has made his company a household name, and his wife, Aurora, and young son, Arlo, constantly appear in Aurora’s carefully curated social media feed, giving Eleanor a window into their lives. Eleanor has kind, quirky, supportive, fabulous friends in Arden Lee and Clementine, but when Aurora posts an ad for a nanny for Arlo for the summer months, she can’t resist applying (without revealing her connection to the family). As Eleanor begins to feel increasingly uneasy about the top-secret work her self-centered father is doing, this thoughtful novel at times almost crosses the line into the thriller genre. The tech mystery propels readers on, as does the romance Eleanor has with Nino, a home-schooled boy whose father also works for Aurora. Caletti compellingly explores big questions about class, the ethics of AI, and the price people pay for depicting perfect lives online. But Eleanor’s poignant vulnerability with those around her as she yearns for a family that will truly accept her is the real focus, easily bringing readers into her corner. All main characters read white.

An at times heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story about chosen family.