By Pamela Pollack Fremd
SPOKANE, Washington — Plum Rains by Andromeda Romano-Lax is a novel set in the immediate future: 2029. As such many common and universal human failings are on full display. Greed, disdain, and full blown discrimination against people who are “others,” those who are not exactly like us, or who are like us, but from a slightly different location. All of these human failings are all on full display throughout the novel.
Sayoko, a very elderly and apparently Japanese lady, and Angelica, the Filipina nurse who lives with and cares for Sayoko, have more in common than they realize. Both hide a tragic past. It takes an AI (artificially intelligent) robot, Hiro to encourage these women to really see and understand each other.
Hiro arrives at Sayoko’s apartment in a box; the company technician only partly puts him together. Hiro begins observing and sensing and learning immediately. He also has the advantage of accessing information…all information about anything, as far as I could tell. He gets others to help him assemble himself, so he is mobile. Then there is no stopping him. His motivation is not to harm humans, but to try to help. It is not stated but he might be motivated by the 3 Laws of Robotics, sometimes know as Asimov’s Laws.
- A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given it by a human being except when such orders would conflict with the first law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law.
This novel also explores the challenges caused by a large aging population coupled with a declining birthrate. These are both challenges facing Japan today. Also explored are the problems a country can face due to very bad behavior from the past. For example, Japan’s use of “comfort women” during World War ll.
Although this book addresses serious problems we face in the world, it ends on an upbeat note, mostly because of the robot. I really liked Hiro. This is strange for me because I harbor a very negative attitude towards technology However, I would not mind having a Hiro at all.
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Pamela Pollack Fremd is a freelance writer based in Spokane, Washington.