Author: J.P. Delaney
Published: August 6th 2019 by Ballantine Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 413 pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
This is a book which will stay with you. There is a futuristic reality of Artificial Intelligence (AIs) taking over the everyday world that is spooky in its possibility. Start with the advancements made by the companies run by the tech billionaires, add in a slightly off-center tech genius, add in a disappearance, or is it murder, then finish it off with a cobot, a companion robot, who takes on the appearance of the person you love and there you have “The Perfect Wife”.
There were parts of the book that confused me. How could a preprogrammed AI, with data gathered from social media accounts, have what from the outside appears to be insider knowledge of the person they have replaced? Granted, in this book AI is not technically artificial intelligence, but rather autonomous intelligence, yet Abbie seems to know more than “she” should.
There is a side story around the son of Abbie and Tim. Danny developed a disintegrative disorder called Heller’s syndrome which is often referred to as late-onset autism and you see the battle between Tim and AI Abbie as to what is the right care for Danny. This had introduced me to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Doing a little side research, it is no wonder they disagreed as to what is best for their son and why Abbie fought so hard to find a stable environment for him.
It is the ending that will make you say “oh, I get it now”. Where it should have all made sense in the beginning, when you realized what a self-obsessed narcissist Tim was and as you reflect, you realize the clues were there all along.
JP Delaney is an author that has psychological twists down to an art. You know there is a bombshell waiting for you, you just don’t know when or where it will land and when it does, you are blindsided.
There were parts of the book that confused me. How could a preprogrammed AI, with data gathered from social media accounts, have what from the outside appears to be insider knowledge of the person they have replaced? Granted, in this book AI is not technically artificial intelligence, but rather autonomous intelligence, yet Abbie seems to know more than “she” should.
There is a side story around the son of Abbie and Tim. Danny developed a disintegrative disorder called Heller’s syndrome which is often referred to as late-onset autism and you see the battle between Tim and AI Abbie as to what is the right care for Danny. This had introduced me to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Doing a little side research, it is no wonder they disagreed as to what is best for their son and why Abbie fought so hard to find a stable environment for him.
It is the ending that will make you say “oh, I get it now”. Where it should have all made sense in the beginning, when you realized what a self-obsessed narcissist Tim was and as you reflect, you realize the clues were there all along.
JP Delaney is an author that has psychological twists down to an art. You know there is a bombshell waiting for you, you just don’t know when or where it will land and when it does, you are blindsided.
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