AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz│ Review

Hey Bookworm friends! It’s time for another review, and this time I’m sharing my thoughts on Automatic Noodle which I read about a month ago and enjoyed (my apologies for the lateness).

Thanks to Netgalley and Tordotcom for the ARC; All opinions are my own.

About Automatic Noodle

Review

A cozy story with something to say!

This novella is set in a near-future where California has broken off from America and they’ve been at war. After the war, the sentient robots in California were freed in theory but in practice, not so much. Robots are allowed to work and make their own money but they’re not allowed to own a business, so a lot of them end up as indentured servants. We follow a group of robots who try to gain control over their lives by setting up their very own noodle restaurant.

I’ve read another Annalee Newitz book and loved it so of course I was eager for this one too! I’m a big fan of their brand of world-building where inanimate objects are people. On the surface it might look ridiculous if a car is friends with robots and is able to make its own choices but I love this “infinite possibilities” mindset. It’s an imaginative way of exploring very human themes in a whimsical, yet impactful, way.

“Robles used some leftover streamers to make a dangly hammock for the speaker, and soon there was a creamy foam of ambient electronica filling the spaces between spoken words and slurps.”

I grew attached to the four robots surprisingly quick: Staybehind, Hands, Cayenne, & Sweetie. First of all, great names. Secondly, I found them lovable and their worries relatable. Paying their bills, finding fulfillment in their life, being able to express their gender how they want, and building community. The coziness of this story comes from the day-to-day closeness of working together for a common cause, and figuring out every detail of how they want to run the restaurant. For food lovers, there are ruminations about food and the care that is taken in preparing it, which is one of the parts I loved reading the most!

“Food pointed humans to beloved moments in their memory heaps; it brought back the past as a visceral, living thing.”

This near-future California is even more run by algorithms than our world and most people are used to eating synthetic foods. But Hands is determined to make authentic noodles for the sheer satisfaction of making something of substance with his hands. Automatic Noodle isn’t just comforting, there is also a lot of meaty (excuse the pun) commentary on the state of America in terms of xenophobia, over-dependence on technology, and loss of community among other things. It’s actually impressive how much ground is covered in this short novella and I continue to connect with Newitz’ storytelling. I do wish it was a little longer and it’s not my favourite of theirs, but overall it’s definitely worth a read!

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