Users by Colin Winnette is a thought-provoking novel that explores the dark side of the tech industry. The story centers around Miles, a name to know in the virtual reality field who creates a new product called The Ghost Lover. While the premise of the novel is interesting and the exploration of interpersonal experiences and private decisions in relation to virtual reality is thought-provoking, the main character, Miles, was challenging to connect with. His motivations and actions were often difficult to understand and I felt really disconnected from him.

One of my major issues with the book was the difficulty in believing some of the situations. Miles is married with children, yet he seems to have little knowledge of his family's lives, including not knowing anything at all about his wife of 15+ years' childhood (truly, this man knows absolutely nothing about his wife- I was really curious about how their marriage even came to be) or the layout of his home... that he lives in... all the time. This level of ambivalence and separation seems unlikely in a long-term relationship with children, or at least impossible to fathom for me personally, and that made it hard for me to fully buy into the story.

On the other hand, there are merits to the book. The exploration of the impact of tech on people's lives is thought-provoking, and the book raises important questions about the role of tech companies in society. While Miles may be difficult to connect with, his story is still an interesting one that provides a glimpse into the world of virtual reality and the people behind it. I would have lovAed more of that in this novel, especially more about Ghost Lover itself. So that leaves me to rate this an A for premise, but a solid C for execution.

Thanks so much to Soft Skull Press for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.