Community Library Notes
“Machines Like Me” by Ian McEwan is the fascinating story of Charlie who buys a robot (Adam), factory—made who comes with an instruction manual. Charlie and his girl friend, Miranda, design Adam’s personality. Charlie buys and sells stock in silver and gold on line in order to afford Adam. This keeps Charlie out of a boring desk job. Miranda lives upstairs and he loves her. Adam would be their child; they will share him.
Adam can speak and breathe, but has no emotions. He gets dressed in Charlie’s clothes while Charlie fixes dinner. Adam has no trouble with his shoe laces, sweater, or pants. He tells Charlie that Miranda is a malicious liar. Charlie switches Adam off. Author McEwan uses the battle of the Falkland Islands between the UK and Argentina as the background of the main story; 2,900 people are killed in the battle and the British people are ashamed.
Adam’s expression of his insights are socially inept, and Charlie wants to take him to a pub before he meets Miranda’s father. The father is deathly ill. Charlie takes Adam to the local shop where he has deep discussions about the self with the shop owner. Charlie and Miranda argue over the Falklands war while Adam does the dishes. Later that night, Charlie hears Adam and Miranda upstairs making love. Author McEwan tells us about self-driving cars and the moral dilemma of when to stop or to swerve during a close encounter. McEwan inserts his philosophy everywhere he can.
A little boy named Mark comes to their room, asks for a bath. Miranda and Adam draw him one and Adam makes him an origami boat. A man just out of prison threatens to kill Miranda. We find out later why. Little Mark and Miranda dance around the room, but soon two women from social services come to take him away. Mark is sad and Miranda is distraught. When they go to visit her father, he mistakes Charlie for the robot. Charlie asks Miranda to marry him; she tells Charlie she has been thinking of adopting Mark. His mother is insane, and his father is in prison. Charlie doesn’t know if he wants to be a father.
Miranda wants to confront the man who wants to kill her, as he is the man who raped her closest friend when they were younger. Miranda feels guilt that she never told anyone that her friend needed help, and her friend killed herself in the bathtub later. Miranda lies to the court and tells the judge that the rapist, Corringe, had raped her too. McEwan says the brain can be taught to lie, but the mind decides when it is right to lie. Will they be allowed to adopt Mark? Will the robot Adam stay with them or be dismantled? Find this fascinating novel on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
The Mendocino Community Library is at the corner of William and Little Lake streets, Mendocino. Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sundays and holidays, 707-937-5773.