The Hierarchies Ros Anderson 9781911585787

Your Husband is the reason for your existence. You are here to serve him. You must not harm your Husband. Nor may you harm any human. Sylv.ie is a synthetic woman. A fully sentient robot, designed to cater to her Husband's every whim. She lives alone on the top floor of his luxurious home, her existence barely tolerated by his human wife and concealed from their child. Between her Husband's visits, deeply curious about the world beyond her room, Sylv.ie watches the family in the garden--hears them laugh, cry, and argue. Longing to experience more of life, she confides her hopes and fears only to her diary. But are such thoughts allowed? And if not, what might the punishment be? As Sylv.ie learns more about the world and becomes more aware of her place within it, something shifts inside her. Is she malfunctioning, as her Husband thinks, or coming into her own? As their interactions become increasingly fraught, she fears he might send her back to the factory for reprogramming. If that happens, her hidden diary could be her only link to everything that came before. And the only clue that she is in grave danger. Set in a recognizable near future and laced with dark, sly humor, Ros Anderson's deeply observant debut novel is less about the fear of new technology than about humans' age-old talent for exploitation. In a world where there are now two classes of women--"born" and "created"--the growing friction between them may have far-reaching consequences no one could have predicted.

About the Author
Ros Anderson was born in Penzance, Cornwall in 1976. She trained as a dancer, before working as a design and interiors writer, published in The Guardian, The Independent and Elle Decoration, among others. The Hierarchies is her debut novel. She lives and works in Margate.

Reviews
"A masterful, gripping debut...While the plot is propulsive and page-turning, The Hierarchies allows Sylvie's incisive meditations on beauty and human nature to shine through....A fascinating take on artificial intelligence. The Hierarchies deserves to be considered a classic of feminist dystopian fiction.";--Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters;"Wickedly funny...A total page-turner.... Offers a terrifying and compelling vision of our future world in which desire shifts with and shapes around technology, and bots are more human than people.";--Katie M. Flynn, author of The Companions;;"Fascinating...Anderson gracefully executes the process of Sylv.ie's self-discovery, making her feel real and deeply sympathetic... Readers will be drawn in by Sylv.ie's emotional story.";--Publishers Weekly; "Excels as a commentary on women's bodies and their commodification, the power imbalance between the sexes and the future of sex."--Herald Scotland



Book Information
ISBN 9781911585787
Author Ros Anderson
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Dead Ink
Publisher Cinder House