After

About this book

Jen and Father live in a destroyed, almost empty world. Years before, there was a technological disaster, killing all humans who were linked up to the Hive via microchip. Very few people survived.

Jen and Father keep moving, trying to find food and make their way to Tranquillity Lake, where they hope to make a permanent home. Only they have a secret. Father is a human-appearing AI, and every human apart from Jen fears him. 

He tirelessly protects Jen from desperate, violent scavengers, but there’s something he’s not telling her. And when they meet a community Jen would like to stay with, she uncovers more shocking secrets... 

This vision of a dystopian future, where machines are to be feared and cities have been razed to the ground, is compelling. Despite the bleak setting, the story’s focus is on human bonds, especially the unusual relationship between Jen and Father, as she teaches him how to be more human. 

This has many themes to discuss, such as our growing reliance on technology and AI, but also how we treat people who are different, or who aren’t part of our particular group.