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I Heart Robot by Suzanne van Rooyen (published in 2017 by Suzanne van Rooyen)
This book, folks, is going to make waves. It's officially made my personal top ten and I'll even go as far as saying this is the Book of 2017.
But, okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I Heart Robot is a young adult novel by South African writer and muso, Suzanne van Rooyen. She's currently based in Finland, which is probably why the book has such a strong Scandinavian vibe to it. And you know how I love all things Scandinavian.
In this novel, we meet two teens with a shared love of music. Tyri must prove to her mother that she can build a life for herself on the strings of her violin, but Quinn has to prove to the world that droids can create – can feel – and therefore deserve the same rights as humans.
But droids are machines, dead, so they can’t really have emotions. They can only do what they were coded to do and can’t possibly deserve human rights. Or do they?
A heavy theme for a YA novel, but executed so brilliantly that the struggle faced by these droids becomes your struggle, and that without you even realising it.
The characters are real - this is the first thing you'll notice about this book. Not the flat, words-on-a-page kind at all.
They take shape, with distinguishable personalities and dreams, brought to life masterfully. It’s been a while since I read a YA with characters I actually cared about, and I cared about Tyri, Quinn and their friends a great deal.
Aside from the characters, though, the world and plot are compelling and painted so vividly that I walked among the people of Skandia for a while.
When the novel starts, the turmoil is at a steady simmer, in those last moments before the conflict boils over. Revolution is the word of the day, and the droids will rise against their creators. The humans, however, are split into factions – those who support the droids and those who don’t.
The politics involved in this novel are different than the usual lite-version you get in other YA books, which is probably why this book boasts a realism that sets it apart from the other stories in its genre. I couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘what if’s’ involved for days after I’d finished reading this book, which is my definition of a great novel – a story that makes you think.
Of course, this story wouldn’t be complete without an outrageous best friend, a love triangle and some teen angst, but I have to say that I found these ever-present YA themes subtle. As someone who isn’t a major fan of the genre (please put away your stakes and pitchforks!) I still enjoyed this story.
I don’t like being bombarded with I-can’t-choose-between-you-and-your-brother-romances, so I found it refreshing that the romantic plot wasn’t the main focus of the novel. More so when Quinn’s personality emerged.
His plight made him relatable, and he didn’t give up his focus when he met the pretty girl. You see what I mean by refreshing?
All in all, I highly recommend this novel. If your teenager doesn’t love it, you most certainly will.
Purchase a copy of the book from Amazon.com.
Yolandie Horak blogs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on her website.
WATCH: I Heart Robot book teaser
