Whether you’ve watched The Bachelor personally or not, its pervasiveness in our culture makes it easy to picture the scene laid out in Jenna Satterthwaite’s Made for You. Well, almost. There’s one catch: one of the bachelorettes is a “synth” or synthetic human.
Julia Walden is more complex than a robot, and she’s been made to be the perfect match for the eligible bachelor, Josh, on the newest season of The Proposal, a fictional reality series modeled after what we all know as The Bachelor.
She can think and feel and, quite frankly, is probably more human than some of the people around her.
It all sounds like a pretty wild sci-fi premise, but what follows is a story that has something for everyone, is deeply thought-provoking, and pays off in spades. It’s a romance on one hand and a murder mystery-thriller on the other.
It’s also told from the point of view of a glorified robot. And it’s fantastic.
Made for You is told entirely from Julia Walden’s point of view, but in two time frames. The story toggles between “Then” and “Now,” with “Then” being the moment when she first opens her eyes and begins her journey on the reality show to “Now” where she’s married to Josh and discovers he’s recently been murdered.
The reality show bits are fun and funny, with plenty of nods to the real The Bachelor. There are rose ceremonies, group dates, and even fantasy suites. In fact, maybe it’s a little too close to being the show we’re all familiar with.
This part could make for a novel all its own, really, because that part of the story is fascinating in itself. Can a synthetic human win the bachelor’s heart over a real woman? And if she’s made to be his perfect match, what does that mean, exactly?
For the story to work, the point of view is key. The reader immediately empathizes with Julia because everything is told from her perspective. It also provides a level of humor and commentary that wouldn’t otherwise be available.
The writing itself is sharp with very real, beautifully written, and sometimes hilarious descriptions of everyday life. “Walmart after eight o’clock is a dystopia” is one of my favorite lines. “The word ‘bitch’ flies around like confetti” is another.
More than that, Julia’s struggles are relatable, even when they aren’t. She may not have life experience, and she may not be “real,” but she can feel pain and emotions just like anyone else. It’s all part of her programming.
In the mansion on the reality show’s set, Julia navigates friendships and the feelings of being an outcast. She experiences what it’s like to fall in love, to feel jealous, and to feel unworthy. She also has social media to contend with.
Later, her life shows her living in a small town where she’s made to feel unsafe and unwelcome, all while being the center of a discussion about “synth rights.” She’s also the victim of domestic abuse, with her perfect reality show husband turning out to be someone she didn’t expect.
Julia’s relationship with her “creator” is important, too. Andy Wekstein is the owner of WekTek and the person who helmed the project of creating Julia. He’s also her friend, and there are some obvious complexities there even beyond what we’ve seen in stories like this before (a scientist who creates a robot girlfriend sort of thing).
All of that is only scratching the surface of the layers within this novel. It has plenty to say about love, trust, motherhood, grief, and even where we should draw the line when it comes to technology.
It questions what it means to be human. And it does all of that while still offering a suspenseful “whodunnit” mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley is the Editor-in-Chief of Eulalie Magazine. Favorite Movies: Sunset Boulevard, Garden State, Modern Times. Favorite TV Shows: Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grey's Anatomy. Favorite Books: Interview with the Vampire, Dracula, City of Glass.
