Amen Maxine - Faith Gardner

Author: Faith Gardner

Series: The Jolvix Episodes #1

Genre: Contemporary Drama, Domestic Thriller.

Rating: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: Contains the usual psych/domestic thriller ingredients of gaslighting, mental health issues and an unreliable narrator. What makes it different is the outstanding role that AI plays in the proceedings. Works pretty well because of the intelligent and twisty writing. However, requires a fair bit of suspension of disbelief at the end.

Story Synopsis:

Rowena Snyder is a newly-married young mum who has left her job as an editor and moved from NY to her husband Jacob’s childhood home in California. Not only does Rowena miss her old lifestyle and friends, but her anxiety and depression are exacerbated in the new location. To help Rowena, Jacob gets home a new product that is still in beta testing at the tech company he works with. Enter “Maxine”, the digital AI who bonds with any one individual and can “do anything to help”. In addition to the usual assistance, Maxine also has ‘advice’ and ‘prediction’ modes that promise to help patients with mental health issues. Rowena unwillingly tries Maxine, is amazed at how accurate she/it is, and trusts her entire life to her new artificial friend. Then Maxine begins making some chilling predictions and Rowena isn’t sure whom to trust anymore.

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Rowena.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 Not once did I feel that I was reading an indie work. Such polished language, such smart plotting, and such complicated character development! All without a single typo. Take a bow, author!

😍 It is quite fast-paced, though it drags for a couple of chapters in the second half. I completed this within a day. That’s always a bonus.

😍 This is a strange mix of genres that usually don’t work well for me but this time, the combo delivered. The content begins as a contemporary drama, goes into suspense and upgrades to a medley of psychological thriller and domestic thriller. All this accompanied by dashes of sci-fi. Just be prepared for more of dramatic than thrilling content in the initial half.

😍 I loved how the intrusion of AI in our lives is depicted so accurately, even though some of the tech in the book is set in the future. The data collecting with or without your permission is scarily accurate. At the same time, I yearned for some of the gadgets that Rowena has in her house. If anyone manufactures those robotic feather dusters, consider me a willing customer.

😍 Though a lot of the story is guessable, there were enough twists to keep me hooked.

😍 I adored Sam’s character. I wish she had an even greater role in the story. She enlivened the proceedings.

😍 While not a typical unreliable narrator, Rowena casts enough of doubt on the occurrences to keep me questioning even her motives. Most of the characters aren’t trustworthy and this kept me on my toes while reading. I liked how Rowena wasn’t just presented as the typical new mother with postpartum depression but her issues went much beyond that.

😍 😍 😍 Everything to do with books that is sprinkled so generously in the content. Rowena’s attempt to concentrate on her e-reader while her mind is disturbed. Her longing for her old hard copies. Her desire to shun parties in favour of books. Her habit of quoting from her favourite books quite casually during her narration. (The geek in me relished those Easter eggs in the writing. But I confess, I wasn’t a fan of the Jane Eyre-esque “Dear Reader” – that breaking of the fourth wall didn’t make sense.) Rowena’s remarks about line-editing (not just in the books she reads but also in the assumed book of her life.) TThe fact that she doesn’t get the idea of book clubs. (One of my absolute favourite lines in the book was, “Book clubs have never made sense to me. Books are where I go to escape people.” Heck yeah, baby!) The book lover in me loved the book lover in her.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😒 I am kinda tired of the portrayal of male characters in contemporary thrillers because their only role seems to be to gaslight the women in their lives under a façade of care and concern. This trope is getting boring, though it is handled fairly well in this story.

😒 Rowena’s grudge against Jacob is based mainly on all the lies he tells her. But she too doesn’t refrain from lying to the people in her life. Pot calling the kettle black.

😒 Some of the secondary characters’ behaviour didn’t make sense at times. Can’t reveal more without going into spoilers.

😒 The ending is too farfetched, too rushed, and too neat. I would have forgiven all other shortcomings but an OTT ending is never my favourite. It also left me a curious cat because it didn’t tell me some things I really wanted to know! 👀

Overall, the pace, the AI angle, the layered characters and the twisty plot definitely have an edge over the exaggerated ending and the hackneyed portrayal of the main characters. Definitely worth a shot – it is one of the better dramatic thrillers I have read this year. Amen, Maxine – indeed!

My thanks to Mirror House Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Amen Maxine”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.