#BlogTours ‘Love And Other Human Errors’ by Bethany Clift

About the book…

Due to be published on 27th April in paperback from Hodder Books, ‘Love and Other Human Errors’ is Bethany Clift’s follow up novel after her incredible debut, ‘Last One At The Party’

My thanks to the author,publishers and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to read the novel and celebrate the paperback release!

A book synopsis is fundamentally ridiculous. How can I possibly convey, in only 100 words, the events of the past year and their impact on my perfectly ordered existence?

It is insufficient space to accurately detail how I was blackmailed into demonstrating my flawless algorithm to find a soulmate, despite having no desire for one.

In my former life I avoided trivial human connections. I was alone, accomplished and brilliant.

Unfortunately, that solitary and driven woman no longer exists.

My name is Indiana Dylan and this is the extraordinary account of how I fell in love.

There: 100 words exactly.

She’s only gone and done it again.

Not content with predicting the pandemic, she has now pinpointed the ‘problems’ which multi  millionaire megacorps have in obtaining the data belonging to the common or garden peasant.

Here, the mega corp is the fabulously named Jane Doe is run with ruthless efficiency by the detestable Cameron Gardner-non gendered name reflecting her ‘if we can beat them let’s play them at their own behaviour’ business attitude. She takes the worst of male behaviour, the expectation that people will bend to your whim , are emminently disposable entities and wants to control the world through her software.

Enter Indiana Dylan, software engineer extraordinaire, with a proposal. Her newest invention, known as TRU, will not only collect said data, it will do so under the guise of matching you with your perfect partner. The flaw she has noted in the post pandemic world of dating apps is that they pick someone for the you you are now.

There are so many algorithms to consider when taking into consideration the complexity of the human being that the new TRU watch, which will measure reactions to matches, has been proven in her research, and she has an offer to make Cameron-take the Data Let tech and the TRU brand, in return for the building she lives in and a decent financial remuneration.

However, previous companies have not been able to offer Indy the deal she has been looking for, Jane Doe is her last shot. And what they propose is not exactly what she is looking for either….on paper, Indy knows that TRU works,but does she believe that it does? Cameron wants to put it to the test by making Indy wear her own device and meet her own match.

If it works then its a done deal.

If not, then Indy loses her home, and the secret she has been hiding in this post Brexit, post pandemic office building turned accommodation. And what Indy is working on could just prove that humanity, love, and the human heart are worth fighting for….

Add in the fabulous Jack Hunter, widower and ace deflector of other people, and Lina , one of Cameron’s top execs who are left in charge of the decidedly anti social, and lacking in people skills Indy, and you have a triptych of narrators who are completely complementary and unforgettable.

Indy is one of those people who you root for, she has a pragmatic approach to life, work and relationships-to the extent of satisfying her sexual needs at Meet Markets, where the connections between men and women are made and understood before you set foot in them , via the timing of her menstrual cycle.

Jack you just feel so deeply for, his experience with his young wife, Eve, has destroyed him, and left him broken, He deflects back every question asked of him, making the most liked person in a business full of cut throat back stabbers. Mixing my metaphors but honestly, the treatment of employees at Jane Doe is stomach churning.

As Lina tries to prove herself-a new mum, with a wife at home and an extended family who do not understand her constantly splitting herself in 2-fighting for both recognition and respect, the ‘have it all’ generation which is supposed to be supported by all this tech pulls itself to pieces.

Outsourcing the human heart is not as easy as creating an algorithm, and whilst collecting data on human activity is one thing, does it give you the sense of who or what you are as a person? There is no allowance for random acts, things beyond your control, the actions or others and so many variables.

For a woman who has shut her heart away, and for good reason,and a man who cannot bear to use his after losing the love of his life, is it possible that either can find happiness again?

Or is the love of your life a concept sold to us humans by companies invested in nothing more than selling you an app, or a device?

And if being human is an aberration, what does that make love?

”Hiding from life and being afraid to be human, afraid to grow and change like humans do. Staying immutable and rigid with me-rather than taking a chance on a real life and a real love. That is a human error. And that is the human error that you are making.”

I fell deeply in love with this story, it’s complex and hilarious characters, even the side characters-looking at Frank and Alan, Doris and Peggy-were just fully fleshed out and gorgeous. Bethany creates the page and script and you bring your love and attention to the story, your feelings spill onto the page and create this alchemical reaction of tears, gasps, laughter and distress when the book finishes.

I have the e-book, kindly given by Hodder and Stoughton, but as soon as I can afford to do so, I am tracking down a physical copy and will dive in all over again. It has a special place in my heart and I can honestly say, it is my favourite book which I have read this year, hands down. Pure joy and redemption from the process of reading it, I cannot recommend it any higher than if I stood on the roof and yelled.

About the author…