Book Review,  Science Fiction,  Thriller

BOOK REVIEW: Anyone by Charles Soule @charlessoule @harperperennial #anyonebook #bookreview

December 17, 2019 /

This is the sort of mind-blowing, thought-provoking thriller that will not only have you on the edge of your seat, it will have you thinking in a very different way about our identities and what makes us who we are. This is truly one of the best books of 2019 in my opinion, and I’m referring to all genre. I have been recommending this and buying copies for everyone I can think of, because it is a rare blend of socially impactful and truly outstanding fiction.

About the Book

Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge—and wariness–of technology to his sophomore novel set in a realistic future about a brilliant female scientist who creates a technology that allows for the transfer of human consciousness between bodies, and the transformations this process wreaks upon the world.

Inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a scientist searching for an Alzheimer’s cure throws a switch—and finds herself mysteriously transported into her husband’s body. What begins as a botched experiment will change her life—and the world—forever…

Over two decades later, all across the planet, “flash” technology allows individuals the ability to transfer their consciousness into other bodies for specified periods, paid, registered and legal. Society has been utterly transformed by the process, from travel to warfare to entertainment; “Be anyone with Anyone” the tagline of the company offering this ultimate out-of-body experience. But beyond the reach of the law and government regulators is a sordid black market called the darkshare, where desperate “vessels” anonymously rent out their bodies, no questions asked for any purpose – sex, drugs, crime… or worse.

Anyone masterfully interweaves the present-day story of the discovery and development of the flash with the gritty tale of one woman’s crusade to put an end to the darkness it has brought to the world twenty-five years after its creation. Like Blade Runner crossed with Get Out, Charles Soule’s thought-provoking work of speculative fiction takes us to a world where identity, morality, and technology collide.

Reflection

The story weaves back and forth between two narratives—the story of a scientist named Gabby who accidentally invented the Flash, and the story a few decades later of a mysterious young woman named Annami who is on a covert mission to reveal the dark underbelly of the technology and hopefully put a stop to it. I found both narratives equally compelling to read, though Annami’s is a bit more action-packed, and Gabby’s is more intellectually driven (at first).

When Gabby is seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s and accidentally flashes herself temporarily into her husband’s body, she is torn between the terror of finding herself in another person, and the scientific curiosity of what this discovery could mean. One aspect to Gabby’s character that is particularly relevant is that she is a black woman, and because of that, Gabby’s mind instantly goes to the social implications of this discovery: is it harder to hate someone for outward characteristics if anyone could be behind the physical façade? Could this technology reduce racism and classism? Could it make people more tolerant?

A few decades later and we see what the Flash has become. Regulated and legal now, there are two foundational rules about the Flash: 1. A person has to return to their host body before flashing to a new vessel (no flashing between vessels); 2. If one dies, both die (when you are in another body, if either your body or the one you are in dies, both of you die). These are paramount to maintaining order with the Flash, and preventing people from using it for bad reasons.

But as Annami shows us, there is a very dark side to the Flash. A sort of underground lawless market where someone for a price can use a body anonymously for any purpose they choose. And as we learn, there may be even worse things happening than that. Annami is on a mission to expose the problems with the technology, but to do so she needs to make money and fast. So she begins to rent her body out on the darkshare…

There are so many fascinating and dark characters in this book! From the woman who runs the darkshare location that Annami is using, to the financer of Gabby’s research, and a bunch of others who I won’t name because I don’t want to spoil it!

This book was truly un-put-down-able and definitely one of the best books I read this year. Thought-provoking, edge of your seat, thrilling concept, and excellent execution! Thank you to Harper Perennial for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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