House of Liars by Jenny Williams

Anna Olin secures a writing residency on a remote island with the chance to win a million-dollar publishing contract. She is excited but daunted by the challenge, as her only novel disappeared almost as soon as it was written years earlier, and she has since been working in the IT industry. She is also conflicted about not being able to have any contact with her young son for the two weeks of the residency, a much longed-for child, Toby, she decided to have on her own after IVF treatment.

There is also the issue that an old flame is one of the competing writers, leaving her feeling a little at sea about her feelings for her partner, Lee, with their new relationship. Lee is a wonderful father to Toby, but has their passion disappeared with the responsibilities of raising a child?

She is also concerned that the other writers in this competition are more experienced, and one of the writers isn’t human – it’s AI.

This is a psychological thriller that grows increasingly tense as AI takes on frightening new behaviours, blurring the lines between reality, desire, choice and consequences, as Anna becomes more isolated and unhinged. Unputdownable and unforgettable, this novel centres on many fascinating themes: motherhood in the modern world, the creative drive, the role of AI in our lives and the challenges it raises, especially in the creative world.

The author has worked as an ethics advisor at Microsoft and Google, and in this riveting thriller, she asks the questions any creative person should ask: How much will AI undermine creative industries and artists?

But at the heart of this issue-driven novel is also a tender love story, and a tale that is intensely human, with characters grappling with desire, ambitions and longings, alongside frailty and insecurities. House of Liars is surprising and wonderful!

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

http://www.marionbooks.com/