The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances: A Novel

Real Rating: 3.9* of five

The Publisher Says: In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel.

In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold’s stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the show more City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he’s lived in for fifty years.

With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie’s formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I was pretty sure this read would be very twee and deeply, annoyingly cute. I might've sat through a few too many playings of The Brave Little Toaster in the late 1980s, resulting in my willingness to read about Kirby the vacuum cleaner's great-grandappliance Scout the Roomba.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I was charmed by Scout as she becomes self-aware, chooses her name based on what she overhears about Scout in Harold's reading aloud, then decides to become Atticus and fight the Grid (aka AI-dominated society) to keep Harold in his home.

Why Harold and Adrian become aware of the self-awareness of the machines around them and do not immediately light out for the hills, I could not tell you. I went with it because I also watched WALL-E raptly and accepted its lapses of logic because I was enchanted by the plucky li'l guy's selfhood. Same situation here. I did not think the worldbuilding was very well-handled but I was willing to skip it because this is a feel-good story with elements of social commentary that I agree with. As a card-carrying old man I thought Harold was very well-drawn compared to anyone else. Except Scout. She's the star of the show. A Roomba on a mission is clearly not to be messed with. Kate, the daughter he and Edie lost to her own foolish stiff-necked pride, was not much more than a place-holder, and that was just fine by me. I saw plenty of her in the flesh over the decades so no further text needed please and thank you.

So my verdict? Check it out of the library on the day you're a bit bored of the world's evils yet not steaming mad at the idiots who keep shoving their unwanted unneeded greed-increasing systems into our homes. You'll be rewarded by a gentle, sweet individual in Roomba form who wants to do the right thing by those she has learned to care for.

I wish Sam Altman and that fuck Zuck were more like Scout and less the bastards behind the Grid. show less

I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

I am not one bit ashamed to say that I fell in love with the little vacuum in this book.

A near-future dystopian setting is the backdrop. Humanity is in decline, climate change is wrecking the planet, and the sentient computers of the Grid take care of people and ensure that machines stay in line. A sentient automated vacuum tends to its elderly people alongside other machines. I don't want to spoil any of the wonders of the read, but I'll say it delves into matters of soul, beauty, and love from such an enlightening angle. Lines brought me to tears throughout, and the end had me absolutely blinded as I held back sobs.

While this book hit me hard in the feels, there were still some worldbuilding show more inconsistencies that gave me brief pause. Nevertheless, I still feel like this was a 5-star read because it does so many things well; I've also already added it to my awards consideration list for next year. show less

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for the advance review copy! As always all opinions shared below are 100% my own.

Now that I stopped crying by my roomba's side, I think it's safe for me to write this review.

"The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances" by Glenn Dixon is what I can only describe as cozy dystopian sci-fi book that features a sentient roomba called Scout. In fact, all appliances in this universe have such advanced artifical intelligence that they have achieved sentience. While they do not feel emotions the way we as humans do, they come very close to emulating it or translating it through their circuits and wires.

The appliances live to serve an older couple as the wife battles with a terminal illness. They show more attempt to come to terms with what happens when she dies and what they could and should do to protect their surviving human master.

The future seems idyllic at first glance with roombas that can dust even the highest shelves and self-filling refrigerators, but soon enough the reader is exposed to the ugliness of a future where 'the Grid' controls everything.

As a software engineer myself, there were moments when I found myself questioning a decision or an assumption here and there, but ultimately I think this book is a great reminder of the beauty of being human.

And don't get me started on Scout. If you loved Disney's Wall-E, you will adoooore Scout. This little curious roomba made me put down the book several times to message a friend at 1 AM and sob about how much I love roombas and I should be kinder to mine.

That is what I meant when I said it is 'cozy'. There is grief, anger and hurt in this book, but when I stop to remember the highlights, they were all moments where technology and humanity came together to celebrate humans.

The only complaint I have was I wish it was longer. I feel like a lot was left ambiguous or unexplored by the time we read the epilogue. But maybe that's intentional? It's up to us to figure out the future we want?

If you're new to sci-fi, I think this is a great book to pick up as it's still rooted in daily life. If you're a sci-fi lover and you're looking for something cozier, this book is for you. If you've given your roomba a name, do yourself a favour and read this book.

https://www.instagram.com/moonlightcocoa/">Instagram show less

Thanks Atria for the gifted ARC book.

If you were simultaneously captivated and traumatized by The Brave Little Toaster, this one might be for you.

I loved Scout, the sentient roomba who so badly wanted human connection. This is dystopian speculative fiction but felt like horror at times with the way the omnipresent Grid monitored and controlled everything. It had me thinking about surveillance states today and how more technology is integrated into our lives all the time without our consents.

A breadth of topics are included such as human vs. machine, grief, immigration, autonomy, and value, though they’re often explored at surface level. I wish things had been a bit deeper. There are some touching moments, especially when the show more appliances discuss philosophical ideas and as Scout develops.

I felt sad while reading but overall liked the book. show less