Annie Bot

By: Sierra Greer

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya

'Barbie for girls who like Aphex Twin' SHEENA PATEL

'An exquisitely written, empathetic novel that asks what it really means to be human’ RED

'Witty, wicked, and weirdly addictive' LIONEL SHRIVER

She’s human in every way that matters.

Annie is a robot, created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Playful and eager to please, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the outfits he buys for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his whims. Maybe the apartment isn’t always spotless, but she’s trying to be good enough for Doug. She’s trying really hard.

But as Annie grows more self-aware, she begins to chafe against the borders of her life: the empty weeks spent confined to the apartment, the fitness regimens designed to keep her part-organic body toned, the service appointments to increase her bra size and shave inches off her waistline. Worst of all are Doug’s unpredictable moods, and the way he can punish her without even raising his voice.

Annie starts to imagine the impossible – what would life be like outside Doug’s apartment? What could she be like without Doug?

This powerful, provocative novel from a bold new voice examines the intricate relationship between creator and creation, between human and AI, exploring issues of trust, intimacy, power and autonomy.

Is a human soul something we are born with? Or is it something – through love, pain and other people – we can learn?

©2024 Caragh M. O’Brien (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

‘A brilliant and enraging exploration of ownership and love, and the way our creations have of growing far beyond us. Sierra Greer raises questions as current and pressing as our present-day anxieties about AI, and as ageless and enormous as the territory of Mary Shelley, about what constitutes humanity and what we owe to each other. Annie is a glorious creation – and self-creation – and I will never forget her, or this sharp and astonishing book.’ CLARE BEAMS, author of The Illness Lesson

‘What is love without autonomy? Honesty when one partner's sole desire is to please? Sierra Greer's riveting debut sketches an intimate and unsettling portrait of relationship power dynamics in a near-future when humans own conscious AI companions. A timely and provocative exploration of power and romantic relationships...Annie Bot probes the depths of identity and intimacy and asks what it means to recognize the humanity in others and in ourselves. Sierra Greer is a fierce new voice in speculative fiction.’ LAUREN NOSSETT, award-winning author of The Resemblance

‘Haunting and achingly luminous, Annie Bot is a powerful manifesto for the radical discomfort and necessity of pleasing and living for yourself. Greer brilliantly shows us the futility of relationships when one person is deemed inferior, examines the ways men and women socialize one another, and raises questions about whether the contours of love and womanhood are actually captivity. I fell in love with Annie Bot, one of the realest women I have ever encountered.’ LING LING HUANG, author of Natural Beauty