Stephanie M. (inwhichshereads) reviewed on 1/24/2012

This book has a number of interesting concepts it addresses; namely, the differences between subjective definitions of "alive" and "dead", ideas of companionship and love, ideas of conditioning and breaking expectations. In fact, several instances of conditioning (be it subtle or overt) were near Orwellian in overall scope if not in degree.
However, I struggled to really connect to these characters and to their emotional or logical reactions to many of the problems they faced. True, it was a page-turner in a number of tense scenes, but the action was colored by a kind of separation between reader and character that I found difficult to overcome. I didn't completely find myself given over to the character until the last dozen pages of climatic action.
While the concepts were thought provoking, and I could easily see this book sparking quite a few discussions on what it means to be human, on social conditioning, or on social ramifications of prolonged life, this wasn't for me a good leisure read.
All in all, though, I don't regret having read it, and I'm certain some of the ideas presented within the text have left their mark.

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