We Are Satellites in Beyond Reality

Oct 27, 2021 DivaDiane SM rated it really liked it

Shelves: everand-scribd, audio, science-fiction, diane-s-meager-effort, sffbc-book-shelf

I really enjoyed this book. I’m glad I was able to read it. It is very timely, as well and touches on a few issues that are dear to my heart. My son has ADHD (the inattentive type) and I imagine that what one of the main characters goes through is similar to my son’s experience. I’m looking forward to the Q&A with Sarah Pinsker over on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club.

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Aug 12, 2021 Lindsey rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, book-club, 2021

I wanted more from this book than it was able to give. Pinsker starts with a fascinating premise: neurotech that enhances the brain to actually multi-task. The story builds with the idea that this will be the next "must have" status badge for teens and professionals, which I find credible. The book centers around a nuclear family where one mom (Julie) needs the Pilot to stay current with her job, one (Val) distrusts it (for vague, unexplained reasons, the first red flag), the son (David) wants i I wanted more from this book than it was able to give. Pinsker starts with a fascinating premise: neurotech that enhances the brain to actually multi-task. The story builds with the idea that this will be the next "must have" status badge for teens and professionals, which I find credible. The book centers around a nuclear family where one mom (Julie) needs the Pilot to stay current with her job, one (Val) distrusts it (for vague, unexplained reasons, the first red flag), the son (David) wants it to compete on school work, and the daughter (Sophie) can't have one due to epilepsy. This should set up dynamic tension within the family that gives us insight into the many ways that people approach environmental changes outside of their control.

Unfortunately, it fails on this and other fronts. The mid-story time jump robs the reader of any understanding of how Sophie goes from a child who can't have this tech to an activist against it, so this comes across as largely "I can't have it so it's automatically bad". She's vindicated in the end but because Pinsker failed to foreshadow the company's unethical behavior, this robbed the story of tension or suspense. It's like the reader is supposed to know that medical corporations (or maybe all businesses?) are automatically suspect, but for me, I need evidence in the text. Pinsker had an opportunity to explore exactly how medical devices might circumvent or be restrained by good safety practices and just... didn't. This feels irresponsible in a time when we're fighting people's misunderstanding of the safety and efficacy of our best tools to fight a pandemic, feeding a nebulous, general distrust of the medical system that's working against all of us.

The one thing that did work for me in this story was the representation of a lesbian couple whose stories center around trying to be good parents as their children achieve more independence. They simply exist in their world, without having to be representative of everyone-like-them. While I felt like Julie was a bit flat and Val was unrealistically naïve and disconnected from her local environment, being able to focus on their story as parents felt refreshing.

I might re-try Pinsker as an author in a few years, but overall, not recommended. ...more

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Sep 08, 2021 Kathi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

While the framework of this book is science fiction—an implanted tech device that has implications for education, the military, employment, and equity—the heart of the story is a family dealing with the challenges of not only the device but also maturing children, job changes, medical issues, and the timeless theme of trust.

Using the believable and authentic voices and POVs of the family (mothers Val and Julie and children David and Sophie), the author conveys the frustrations and accomplishment ...more

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