Machines Like Me takes place in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first synthetic humans and--with Miranda\047s help--he designs Adam\047s personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and clever. It isn\047t long before a love triangle soon forms, and these three beings confront a profound moral dilemma. \012In his subversive new novel, Ian McEwan asks whether a machine can understand the human heart--or whether we are the ones who lack understanding.