"Technology has improved the way we live. Why not improve the way we love?"

It's sometimes said that, over time, couples start to look alike. What if they also begin to think alike? And not just because of their shared experiences and surroundings, but because they have a chip implanted in their brains to induce a mind-meld of shared thoughts. Alissa Nutting explored this question in her 2017 sci-fi novel Made for Love which is now airing as an adapted series on HBO Max with Nutting as an Executive Producer.

Dark, weird, hilarious, and perceptive, the story follows Hazel Green as she attempts to divorce and, more importantly, escape her tech mogol husband Byron Gogol and his memory chip downloads. If you're loving the series, we heartily recommend you read the book.  We've put a catalog link to it below along with some suggestions for other books that have similar themes and vibes (some lean in to the dark, others to the absurd). 

Made for Love by Alissa Nutting

Moving to a senior citizen trailer park with her father and Diane (his lifelike sex doll), Hazel, the estranged wife of a monolithic corporate CEO who demanded she install a brain chip so that they could be constantly connected, tries to carve out a new life while her ex uses sophisticated technology to stalk her.

 

 

 

 

Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Divorcing his hostile wife when he concludes he could find genuine happiness elsewhere, Dr. Toby Fleishman is astonished when his ex abruptly disappears, leaving him unable to move on without acknowledging painful truths about his marriage.

 

 

 

 

You by Caroline Kepnes

Meeting at an East Village bookstore, aspiring writer Guinevere Beck and store employee Joe embark on an intimate relationship, only to suffer deadly consequences when their passion spirals out of control.

 

 

 

 

The Circle by Dave Eggers

Hired to work for the world's most powerful Internet company, Mae Holland questions her luck as life beyond her job grows distant, an encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, and her role at the company becomes increasingly public.

 

 

 

 

Touch by Courtney Maum

A trend forecaster hired by a leading tech company suddenly finds herself in the position of wanting to overturn her own predictions when she senses the beginning of a movement against electronics in favor of compassion, empathy, and "in-personism."

 

 

 

 

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

In a novel set in the near future, when a beautiful, yet cruel, woman that Lenny Abramov met in Italy says she his coming to stay with him in New York, even the tanks and soldiers stationed in the city and the ongoing war with Venezuela can't get him down.Wildly funny, rich, and humane

 

 

 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

After losing her parents, a young college graduate in New York City spends a year under the influence of a crazy combination of drugs to help heal herself from her feeling of alienation from the world.

 

 

 

 

The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen

A high-profile, TED-talking, power-posing Silicon Valley CEO and mother of two finds her over-scheduled life turned upside-down by the baffling appearance of a woman claiming to be a younger version of herself.

 

 

 

 

Red Pill by Hari Kunzru

Navigating an existential crisis in a haunted Berlin suburb after accepting a prestigious writing fellowship, an aspiring author becomes locked in a cosmic, Darwinian rivalry against the creator of a popular television series.

 

 

 

 

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Everyone knows about the immaculate conception and the crucifixion. But what happened to Jesus between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount? In this hilarious and bold novel, the acclaimed Christopher Moore shares the greatest story never told: the life of Christ as seen by his boyhood pal, Biff.

 

 

 

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips

Becoming increasingly uneasy about suspicious activities at a new job she felt lucky to land, Josephine makes a terrible realization and is forced to confront dangerous and powerful elements in order to protect her loved ones.

 

 

 

 

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.