Book Review: The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr.

James Tiptree, Jr. (aka Alice Sheldon) is primarily renowned for her short fiction, but this piece, which won the Hugo for best novella in 1974, is also top-notch. It imagines a future completely ruled by corporations, where advertising is illegal, because life is advertising—companies use celebrities and product placement to sell their wares. Philadelphia (“P.”) Burke is a seventeen-year-old girl with severe deformities who, after a suicide attempt, is chosen to be one of those celebrities—she controls a new, perfect body, grown brainless for this very purpose, and becomes a new famous person whose job is to publicly buy things. But then she falls in love.

I read this book thanks to a mention in Among Others by Jo Walton.

First of all, don’t think that the three stars I gave this book mean that it wasn’t good. This novella, written in 1973, foresees the power of celebrities and influencers, as well as the role of social media, and how, through likes and comments, the plebs put these people on pedestals. A book written 52 years ago!

Why the three stars? I didn’t enjoy the despondent, sensational tone the author uses to tell the story, and the prose feels clunky overall. It’s not that it didn’t transmit the hell the main character endured; it did that very well, but I wished the writing were more polished. There is a great deal of sexism, though I recognize the book is a product of its time. While I’m sure Tiptree was trying to denounce certain behaviors, some scenes were difficult to swallow.

Story (Plot)
Overall:

lomeraniel

My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.

I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.