Scweblin’s second novel is a significant departure from the brilliantly nightmarish Fever Dream, but is no less disturbing or unsettling than her debut. This is the Black Mirror episode that never was- a deeply immersive exploration of the frighteningly invasive role of technology in our lives.

Written in multiple vignettes- some stand-alone and others unfolding over several chapters- across dozens of locations, Schweblin introduces us to the ‘kentuki’, a Furby-esque plush toy with cameras for eyes, gadgets controlled by an anonymous user (or ‘dweller’) who remotely moves the toy around the home of its randomly assigned ‘keeper’. Coming in a range of animal forms: dragons, crows, rabbits, moles etc, the kentuki’s are a huge hit. Through these episodic stories, Schweblin poses provocative questions about voyeurism, surveillance, pet ownership, and loneliness. Switching back and forth between dwellers and keepers, she presents the beauty of connectivity, bringing together far flung souls from across the world, just as the internet does now. And nothing bad ever happens on the internet, right?