I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon is such a sweet, heart-warming, creative, and wonderful little book. It’s The Brave Little Toaster meets Equilibrium (the movie with Christian Bale) and also a little bit of Animal Farm (but not as political).

Harold and Edie are getting older, and they live in a house that is fully connected to The Grid, which means their appliances are all varying levels of being sentient and helping to keep the house running. However, Edie is very sick, and with that sickness, there may need to be changes to the home. Edie and Harold also have a daughter, Kate, who is somewhat estranged, but given the circumstances of Edie’s illness, she is able to come back home to help Harold.

I say this is kind of like Animal Farm because there are a few appliances we meet, who based on what kind of appliance they are, kind of shapes their viewpoint/communication style/personality. We have Clock who sits on the wall and has been around for a long time, who is wise, and also is very conservative in how he thinks about the world. We have Wellington Refrigerator, AKA Fridge, who is primarily concerned with being able to execute his duties of keeping the family fed and nourished, but also is trying to understand what is happening to the home. We have Watch who resides on Harold’s wrist and is the underlying heartbeat/main control center for the house. And we have a little roomba, who has named herself Scout, after the young girl in To Kill A Mockingbird, who is a very advanced model, and wants to understand more about the world.

First of all, the characters in this book are just delightful and wonderfully written. Who knew I would be rooting for a little roomba that could – the character, her thought process, the way she learns and wants to engage – it is hopeful and kind and inspiring. There is also a side character, Adrian, the little boy down the street who takes piano lessons from Edie, who demonstrates that perseverance and curiosity are foundational to the human experience.

Secondly, the world building is not that far-fetched from where we are today. I could easily envision this is what the world could be in 20-30 years when I’m eventually Harold and Edie’s ages. With AI being everywhere right now, the idea of an entire household run through The Grid is more realistic than not. It does make the read think about the interaction between technology and nature, and maybe this resonated so much with me because I’ve been feeling these two things at ever-increasing odds with one another, and finding myself wanting to spend more time in nature than with technology.

This is a quick little read at under 300 pages. I highly recommend you consider adding it to your TBR, especially if you liked The Brave Little Toaster when you were younger. Also, how freaking cute is this cover? No notes – 5/5 Stars.