Deb Caletti’s compelling new YA novel explores class, AI ethics, and family dynamics.

On this episode of Fully Booked, Deb Caletti joins us to discuss her latest YA novel, True Life in Uncanny Valley (Labyrinth Road, March 18). It’s the story of Eleanor Diamond, a Seattle teen who takes some unconventional steps in order to build relationship with her estranged father, a famous tech mogul. Kirkus calls it an “at times heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story about chosen family.”

Caletti is author of more than 20 books for adults and young adults,including the National Book Award finalist Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, the Michael L. Printz Honor Book A Heart in a Body in the World, The Epic Story of Every Living Thing, and Plan A. She lives with her family in Seattle.

Here’s a bit more from our review of True Life in Uncanny Valley: “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, andyoung 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).…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.”

Caletti and I discuss the “uncanny valley” effect—a phenomenon whereby humans get creeped out by things that are not quite lifelike (e.g., AI-generated images, humanoid robots, etc.). We talk about Eleanor, who feels like an outsider in her family but finds a sense of belonging with her friends and through art; how tech pervades Pacific Nothwest culture; and Eleanor’s hopeful feelings toward her mysterious father. Caletti shares how she encountered the Golden Age comic book heroine Miss Fury, created by June Tarpé Mills, who plays a role in Eleanor’s story. We get into the ethics of AI, whether Caletti has ever been asked to voluntarily provide her work as training data for AI, the importance of human connection and empathy, and whether she would consider writing a sequel to True Life in Uncanny Valley.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, John McMurtrie, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

EDITORS’ PICKS:

A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff (Dial Books)

Papilio by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser (Viking)

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press)

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li (Avid Reader Press)

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

The J.E.D.I. Leader’s Playbook by Omar L. Harris

Berticus by Brian Silbert

A Tiny Ripple of Hope by Antonio Ramon

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.