Shelter

A woman who has been damaged by her family and life's events finds her way to again wanting her life to have a purpose, and along the way is able to resolve some issues and change herself from being a victim of fate to being able to accept what has caused her deep psychic damage and gain the self-acceptance that enables her to once again be the force for good that she was before tragedy scrambled her life. The setting is wonderful and dark in the SF Bay area. The characters she interacts with are interesting, among which is an evolving AI, and the resolution is satisfying. The portrayal of her inner states is masterful as she gradually opens up again to the world outside. The world of a half-century or so from now is plausible and mildly depressive in nature, but it still left me by the end with a belief that things getting better was a strong possibility. I thought this book was great! Dan Nelson

Roberta is on parole for "excessive altruism" when Meredith reenters her life, prompting both to reflect on the events which drew them together: a devastating virus, Preston, first man translated into virtual existence, and their attempts to protect Nicholas and Fred, an unstable child and an artificial intelligence. Shelter has a number of flaws: over-explained backstory, a too-simple conclusion, and heavy-handed themes. Nonetheless it's a brave and intelligent book. The plotline is intriguing and the characters empathetic, and the book is rich which thoughtful issues of identity. While it could be better, it's still quite enjoyable and I recommend it. Shelter opens with a speaking house, a homeless man, and a violent rainstorm; it's rich with mystery and hints at a dystopic near-future. What follows this promising beginning is far more concrete, and some of the book's magic is lost in the change. Roberta and Meredith recollections are highly detailed and lean towards over-explication. The conclusion, by contrast, is rushed and verges on a deus ex machina, ending the book on a somewhat sour note. Despite these extremes, the uneven pacing and detail often finds a medium point that houses realistic characters and an intelligent plot; the book is intriguing and on the whole an enjoyable read, but not always a smooth one. Both plotlines are riddled with issues and events that range from pandemic disease to the autonomy of artificial intelligence, making for a vast and complicated book. Most of these issues are questions of identity: how intelligence, body, memory, and sense of self create a person. That's a bold theme, and Palwick has much to say on it and nearly as many ways to say it. Her approach to the theme is sometimes heavy-handed, addressing it too blatantly and too often. But it's a bold move to reach so far, and Palwick sometimes grasps her goal. Preston, Nicholas, and Fred, as a virtual identity, a child threatened by brain wiping, and an AI, are in turns empathetic and manipulative, artificial and startlingly real. Palwick creates a realistic world where they can all exist, and cultures genuine interest--not always in their safety, but always on the issue of their identity. Shelter is an imperfect book, but I applaud it for what it attempts to be and enjoy it for what it is. I recommend it. It's akin in style and theme to some of Margret Atwood's books (though admitably lacks some of her finesse), and may appeal to a similar audience of readers interested in personal narratives which center around strong science fiction themes.

I have had this book for a while but was saving it as a reward for finishing a major project at work. On Friday I finished the project, and Friday evening I started reading Shelter. I finished it at 2:00 Saturday morning, having paused only to eat dinner. It's a deeply engaging read that is moving without indulging in pathos and that makes thought-provoking points without being heavy handed. Palwick creates characters who are vivid enough that I find myself wanting to meet some (and hoping never to meet others), and does a masterful job of creating sympathy for even the least sympathetic people in the book. She also does a fantastic job of creating suspense through an interesting structure that moves back and forth between the past and present, showing effects long before exploring the causes. This book isn't as tightly constructed as her previous novel, The Necessary Beggar, but it's also much larger in scope and ambition. It exceeded both my expectations and my hopes, both of which were very high.

Publishers Weekly didn't like this book and thought it would only appeal to younger readers. Not so. Although intimidating in length, this book is extremely well written, and it explores some very thought-provoking issues about artificial intelligence, social change, and families. I thoroughly enjoyed it.