The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this at the suggestion of my book club, if you will — a pair of fellow middle aged guys with whom I get together a couple times a month and discuss books for a podcast.
There were several times while reading it that I outright hated them for suggesting it.
That’s not to say it’s not well done. I just wasn’t prepared for the emotions. I mean “infinite sadness” should have given me some clue. But it was a lot more than I expected.
Okay. Quick summary. Harold and Edie live in a futuristic smart house. The appliances know what needs done and when it’s needed. His fridge orders the things he’s low on. The vacuum comes out when the floor’s dirty. Even the car turns on when Harold needs it — without being told.
Then Edie dies. And the appliances aren’t sure what to do. The vacuum, who decides her name is Scout (after To Kill a Mockingbird), wants to help more than she’s allowed to. And the other appliances (especially Harold’s watch, who basically runs the house), scold her.
Harold’s estranged daughter Katie comes to help him in his time of grief, and … well this is where the story really picks up.
Look, I’m a fairly emotional guy. I always cry at the Folgers Christmas commercial. Like every time. So some of the dialog in this REALLY got to me. At one point, I sat in my car and cried when a particularly difficult part had timed out right as I got home. I think I actually cried once or twice more. And was on the verge of crying more times than I can remember.
And then there were other parts that made me angry. Like “Hulk smash” angry at what was going on. It’s hard to imagine a dystopia that also includes a friendly Roomba. But there was plenty of dystopia to go around.
Almost the entirety of the book takes place within the house. But the world building that Glenn Dixon did within the confines of the house was pretty impressive. Likewise, nearly all of the book is “present tense,” and any of the flash backs or memories make sense where they a presented and add a lot to the book.
I say “present tense” because this is obviously the future. I’d guess 2050s or 2060s based on a reference to a flip phone being “50 years old.”
Narration by Jennifer Jill Araya is phenomenal. I had one issue while reading it, and that was her pronunciation of “toque,” which I have always heard as if it rhymes with “kook,” but she pronounced it as if it rhymed with “coke.” A quick Google search tells me both might be right? Is it regional? It doesn’t matter because it’s such a small “issue,” especially when compared to the rest of the book, which she truly nailed.
In summary, I hated my friends for suggesting this book because it truly made my feels bubble up. But I forgive them because it was amazing.
Next, I’m re-reading the first Dungeon Crawler Carl for the aforementioned book club podcast and then will be reading a couple Advance Review Copies. Because, “yay, books!”
View all my reviews