The Plus One

April 1, 2019
Archer’s upbeat but unsatisfying debut attempts to take on 20-something Silicon Valley dating and the idea of romantic perfection. Socially awkward roboticist Kelly Suttle, pressured by her family to find an appropriate date for her sister’s wedding, steals supplies from her office to create android Ethan as a temporary boyfriend. But Ethan turns out to be gorgeous, devoted, and charming, and she becomes attached to having him in her life. Kelly, however, struggles to create a functional care assistant robot for her job, which is baffling given the effortlessness with which she manufactures Ethan. Ethan’s public mistakes are played for a quick laugh, but he doesn’t get a growth arc as a character. Archer wastes her central idea, only telling the tired story of a woman pushed by everyone to find a man already, and fails to dig into the natural humor of the uncanny valley or the absurdity of trying to live with someone perfect. An essential goodness of heart shines through, but it’s not enough to save this uneven story. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown (U.K.).

Narrator Lauren Fortgang's wide range of voices perfectly portrays the formidable protagonist of this delightful story filled with thought-provoking insights on love and family. Desperate to placate her mother, who fears her daughter will be single forever, 29-year-old Kelly, an engineer, creates a robot named Ethan to accompany her to the upcoming wedding of her seemingly perfect sister. Fortgang brings out the humor in Kelly's frazzled relationship with her micromanaging, relationship-focused mother--but also the tenderness, as Kelly discovers another side of the woman who loves her. Perfect modulation for Ethan's sensitive yet robot-like voice effectively captures the paradoxes of his compassion and insight as he teaches Kelly about love. A touching story and magical performance make for a gratifying listen. M.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine