Startup Wife
What a window on the next generation! (Gen Z? Millennials?) Not sure, but they are bright, and unconventional, and idealistic, and completely tech savvy and don’t let borders thwart them, and I wish I could hang out with them - reading this was the next best thing. Aasha is a brilliant grad student specializing in AI (if you don’t know what that means, this book might not be for you!) when she gets re-connected to a high school crush, Cyrus. He has been developing and performing spiritual rituals for the ‘nones’ who want to make their own meaning. Together, they have a love match and also a revolutionary idea: an app that customizes meaningful rituals for any and all occasions (cat baptism, anyone?) So yes, there is some satirical humor here, but also a fascinating peek into the startup/tech world and the lives of innovators who dare to dream up new possibilities. And a big moral quandary: how do you remain true to both your business vision and your most essential relationship when the two no longer align? This is one of those fun hidden gems that will make you feel good to be supporting an Indie bookstore and outsmarting the mainstream offerings. - Carrie
"Tahmima Anam deftly uses humor to explore both start-up culture and the institution of marriage in an utterly charming and genuinely thoughtful way." --Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind
Newlyweds Asha and Cyrus build an app that replaces religious rituals and soon find themselves running one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.
Meet Asha Ray.
Brilliant coder and possessor of a Pi tattoo, Asha is poised to revolutionize artificial intelligence when she is reunited with her high school crush, Cyrus Jones.
Cyrus inspires Asha to write a new algorithm. Before she knows it, she's abandoned her PhD program, they've exchanged vows, and gone to work at an exclusive tech incubator called Utopia.
The platform creates a sensation, with millions of users seeking personalized rituals every day. Will Cyrus and Asha's marriage survive the pressures of sudden fame, or will she become overshadowed by the man everyone is calling the new messiah?
In this gripping, blistering novel, award-winning author Tahmima Anam takes on faith and the future with a gimlet eye and a deft touch. Come for the radical vision of human connection, stay for the wickedly funny feminist look at startup culture and modern partnership. Can technology--with all its limits and possibilities--disrupt love?