Un-Plugged-In
Speculative Fiction
by David A. Greis
The truth is that sometimes, Bryan can be a clingy college boyfriend. In one universe, he follows his girlfriend Jamie’s every move on Instagram, but in another, it’s the ’90s, and he lives in a world with only voicemail and no read receipts.
Meanwhile, when present-day Jamie studies abroad in Rome, everything must be perfectly documented to maintain her flawless online persona. But the real adventure might be in store for her ’90s self—where her eyes aren’t always glued to her phone.
So which world—the more analog or more digital—will make it easier for Bryan and Jamie’s relationship to survive?
A thought experiment turned dual novella, Un-Plugged-In poses the question: who might you have been if you were born into a different generation?
Told side-by-side, the two stories explore relationships, travel, and even a campus scandal through the lens of the technologies that have come to dominate our lives over the past two decades.
REVIEW
4 out of 5
This was an interesting book, that at it’s core, is a bit of a commentary about our constantly plugged in world today, and how many things have changed now that we have social media and the internet at our fingertips 24/7 via cellphones. I enjoyed the duality at play – the same two people, but two vastly different worlds (technologically speaking). I won’t spoil anything (is the 90s or the modern world better for their relationship), but I will say this was a unique story that makes you think.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Greis thinks about tech, writes about tech, and even works with tech. His last name is pronounced like “grace.” When not tech-ing, you can find him trying to get better at his hobbies, surfing and salsa-ing.
