Great idea, great characters, great writing...but, my goodness! Soooo many questions left unanswered! And the ending? I finished feeling like maybe someone tore out the last chapters...what happened?! ( )

I wanted so many more resolutions, but if I had had them, this book wouldn't have been half of what it was.

I love the interplayed character threads. I'm so exasperated by them, but it works so well. ( )

Oddly entertaining story about what happiness looks like for this cast of characters. ( )

What a disappointment considering the great premise. The machine in the title refers to a tiny device (which reminded me of the Theranos gizmo), the Apricity, that offers recommendations towards happiness based on a cheek swab it processes. The very first chapter shows one of the uses of the devices: employers subjecting their employees to it (to improve productivity), except that one of the recommendations a man gets is to amputate a chunk of his finger (HR already agreed to pay for it!). There was so much that could have been done with such a premise. Some of it is mentioned or hinted at but never really explored. When the recommendations could involve doing harm, they are removed. Could the recommendations be used in a court of law? Can people be coerced to undergo the procedure?
Sadly, very quickly, the narrative shifts from those potentialities to the much less interesting inner cogitations of not very interesting characters.
This was a quick and very unsatisfying read. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting premise and some great prose. It is a book that will stick with me. However, don't go into this book expecting a plot, it is more of a series of vignettes revolving around the same character. Overall, I would recommend it to any fans of slipstream books or weird books. ( )