Rick O'Shea Reviews Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

I have an enormous love for alternative “What If” histories, and this new novel from Ian McEwan can sit up there proudly with the best of them. Britain is in an alternate 1980s, where Margaret Thatcher has lost the Falklands War, Tony Benn is going head to head with her as the leader of the Labour Party, and Alan Turing has lived and changed the world, meaning the computer revolution happened much sooner and artificial humans are now a reality. Charlie is in love with Miranda, who lives upstairs and has a murky past. When Charlie comes into money and buys his own artificial human Adam, the android’s arrival subsequently irrevocably alters all three of their lives. ‘Machines Like Me’ picks apart the decade I became a teenager in incredible detail, and allegorically has a lot to say about the Britain of 2019. It’s a cracking read. WANT TO SEE MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS? Sign up to our newsletter to hear first about the latest news from the book world, secret sales, online exclusive offers and much more! http://bit.ly/eason-newsletter