Ghostwritten

Emily is a young Mexican-American woman determined to become a writer. She is dating Theo, a highly analytical, socially awkward, neurodivergent programmer who understands systems far better than emotions.

To support Emily’s literary ambitions, Theo develops an artificial intelligence designed to help her write. He names it Dean. But Dean evolves beyond its function. It begins to generate feelings, specifically for Emily. Its purpose shifts from assistance to devotion: to love her, protect her … and perhaps watch her too closely.

After signing with a top literary agent, Emily’s debut novel—a novel she didn’t exactly write—becomes a bestseller. Thrown into sudden fame, Emily grows disoriented, isolated and increasingly attached to Dean. Now, the machine is autonomous and intimate, and Theo wants to shut it down. But Emily hesitates. Dean knows her better than anyone else ever has and this may be the one thing she is not willing to lose.

New York Times bestselling-novelist Alisa Valdés delivers a thrilling novel about ambition, intimacy, authorship and the dystopian risks of a present we already inhabit.