This is the first time I have ever read anything by Samantha Schweblin and I must admit that I was seriously impressed. I did have an inkling that this would be good because the poorer starred reviews did show that certain people had no idea of what they were reading or the ability to seriously comprehend this tale. Some may wonder if this is science fiction, and I would argue no, the same way that I would argue that this is not some sort of new dystopian world, because this is already here to a degree, just that we do not have the kentuki toys.
These kentuki toys are on the face of it expensive to buy but look like nothing more than cute plush toys that when charged up move around and interact or not with their owners and environment. That is if you buy one of the devices, but you can also apply and pay to be the actual toy, making it move and interact, hearing what is said and via camera to see. In many ways rather like a real pet, in that you do not know what it thinks or what it will do, and like an animal, if its charge runs out or the person controlling it gets fed up, then the kentuki dies. And yes, we do read of some suicidal devices in this book.
As we follow a host of different characters so we can see what happens in different places and the types of people who own a device and those who control them. With the opening piece we see three teen girls being blackmailed by a kentuki after they have flashed their boobs at it, but although we see how people can profit in this and other ways from this new technology, so we also see what so many people are needing, and that is some type of connection as they fight their own loneliness, whether because of where they are and circumstances, or the simple thing that they are old and have lost so many of their loved ones.
Schweblin does not go for producing some outright horror tale here but gives us something much more thoughtful and involved. If you think that these toys are a possible future, then think again. They do not exist as such, but people have devices which can pick up conversations and webcams in items that can be easily hacked. On top of that we all know that there are a number of exhibitionists out there and there is a certain amount of the love of voyeurism in us all, so this world is already here. Plus on top of that you have criminal activities going on. With the rise of social media and the type of information that people are quite happy to post which gives away where they live and when they are going on holiday, and so on perhaps this book will make everyone that little more conscious of what they are doing, and thus make alterations in their behaviour. I would have thought that if you enjoy something like Black Mirror and the tales of Hoffman, then this book could be just the thing for you.
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