![]() ![]() On page 232, Lilac says, “People find out you’re a companion and they want you to do things for them. What data do you think he stole and why? What ramifications might this choice have in the future?ġ0. On page 219, Nat mentions that he stole data and sold it to a stranger to buy a plot of land. Is companionship an offer of immortality or a prison? Would you want to become a companion?ĩ. Who do you consider the novel’s main character? Why?Ĩ. There are eight point-of-view characters in the novel, but some characters are more central to the story than others. What are the ethical implications of such an existence? What happens when corporations can regulate behavior?ħ. Cooking companions sex free#As the intellectual property of Metis, companions are programmed with a security protocol that inhibits their free will. How can she feel some emotions and not others? Do you think this is a flaw in her coding or a reaction to the trauma she’s experienced?Ħ. Maybe it is my machine nature, but the well of sadness inside me has been pumped dry.” Right before saying this, though, she tells us how she has grown attached to baby Honda. Would you do this for a loved one? Would you want a loved one to do this for you? Why or why not?ĥ. Espera’s decision to choose a death date in order to become a companion at the urging of her daughter. What is it about Cam and her personality that draws her to them? If you were Cam, would you have risked both your job and your safety to help Lilac?Ĥ. Cam risks her life multiple times for companions. In your opinion, what makes Lilac different from other companions? Why do you think she is able to break free from her programming and make the “human” decision to rebel?ģ. In what ways does the quarantine create an opportunity for Metis?Ģ. The book opens with the state of California under quarantine. While the novel traces Lilac’s journey through an exquisitely imagined Northern California, the story is told from eight different points of view-some human, some companion-that explore the complex shapes love, revenge, and loneliness take when the dead linger on.ġ. Lilac’s act of rebellion sets off a chain of events that sweeps from San Francisco to Siberia to the very tip of South America. The less fortunate are rented out to strangers upon their death, but all companions become the intellectual property of Metis Corporation, creating a new class of people-a command-driven product-class without legal rights or true free will. Wealthy participants in the “companionship” program choose to upload their consciousness before dying, so they can stay in the custody of their families. Sequestered in high-rise towers, the living can’t go out, but the dead do come in-and they arrive in all forms, from sad rolling cans to manufactured bodies that can pass for human. In the wake of a highly contagious virus, California is under quarantine. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. This reading group guide for The Companions includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. Lilac’s act of rebellion sets off a chain of events that sweeps from San Francisco to Siberia to the very tip of South America in this “compelling, gripping, whip-smart piece of speculative fiction” (Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters) that you won’t want to end. But when she realizes she’s able to defy commands, she throws off the shackles of servitude and runs away, searching for the woman who killed her. Sixteen-year-old Lilac is one of the less fortunate, leased to a family of strangers. Sequestered in high rise towers, the living can’t go out, but the dead can come in-and they come in all forms, from sad rolling cans to manufactured bodies that can pass for human. Station Eleven meets Never Let Me Go in this “suspenseful, introspective debut” (Kirkus Reviews) set in an unsettling near future where the dead can be uploaded to machines and kept in service by the living. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |