“VITRO” BY JESSICA KHOURY: A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT MAN’S USE OF TECHNOLOGY

RATING GUIDE:

 

6 – Life-Affirming and Life-Changing!

5 – A keeper!   

4 – Very good

3 –  Passable

2 –  I’d rather read a telephone book

1 – An absolute bomb.  Read at your own risk!

0 – Nothing will compensate for what I lost reading this book 

If we are to follow what is said about man being made in the image and likeness of God, then it probably explains man’s (delusional?) desire to control other human beings to make them conform to his specifications.  History is rife with examples of mad leaders trying to act like God by forcing people to live according to his or her standards. In her novel “Vitro,” author Jessica Khoury gives us a stern warning about the perils of using technology for such purposes.

“Vitro” is the story of Sophie, a young woman who finds herself on a trip to a faraway place called Skin Island after her mother sends her an urgent e-mail asking for help.  No one wants to fly her to the island; all except one --- a hunky guy named Jim, who turns out to be Sophie’s long-lost childhood friend. 

Upon reaching the island, Sophie meets a creepy young man named Nicholas, who offers to lead her to her mother.  Instead of meeting her mother, Sophie receives a blow to the head.  When Sophie finally regains consciousness, she is totally unprepared for what she sees:  the horrifying results of her mother’s work.  People with no minds and wills of their own.  People who feel and act based on codes implanted in their heads. 

I totally enjoyed reading “Vitro.”  It was such a page-turner for me.  I’m glad I didn’t know what this book was all about when I first read it.  I had no idea what to expect.  When I finally realized what it was, I was just blown away. 

Setting aside the customary love angle between Sophie and Jim (this is a book for young adults, after all), “Vitro” is a thought-provoking story about man’s greed for fame, money and power and the issues that arise when these age-old desires clash with ethics and morals.  The prospect of using technology to control people for profit is actually terrifying to me.  But what is more terrifying is how probable it seems, given the rate in which our technology has advanced.  Jessica Khoury’s “Vitro” is more than a young adult romance with a sci-fi element.  Like that cult movie classic, “2001:  Space Odyssey,” “Vitro” is a cautionary tale about man’s use of technology.  Be careful what you come up with, it just might wipe out mankind.

RATING:  4 1/2