Tears in Rain (Bruna Husky #1)
by Rosa Montero, Lilit Zekulin Thwaites (Translator), Mary Robinette Kowal (narrator)
Introduction
I saw Tears in Rain while looking through Kindle Unlimited audible selections. The premise seemed interesting and the sample audio was good, so I gave it a chance. The title is part of a quote from the movie “Blade Runner”, which heavily influences the novel.
Genre /Intended audience
Science Fiction /Adult
Mature themes: graphic violence, death, drug use, and off-screen sex
Narration
Third person close POV, mostly that of Bruna Husky
Characters
Bruna Husky - a technohuman created for combat, now a private detective
Yiannis - Bruna’s archivist friend
Merlìn - Bruna’s deceased lover; she is still grieving his death
Pablo Nopal - a novelist and former memorist (human who writes memories for technohumans), Bruna’s source for info about the illegal memory trade
Myriam Chi - a technohuman, Radical Replicant Movement (RRM) leader who hires Bruna
Inspector Paul Lizard - a police inspector also investigating the replicant suicide attacks
Miao - a homeless alien (Omaá) befriended by Bruna
Bartolo - an alien pet (also Omaá) Bruna reluctantly inherits from her dead neighbor
Mirari - human woman, Bruna’s go-to contact for forged identities and hacked information
Setting
A distant future version of Madrid, Earth
Theme
Mortality and self determination
Plot
Bruna Husky is hired to investigate a series of suicide attacks carried out by technohumans. While navigating a dangerous political landscape of human and techno extremists and solving the mystery, she also uncovers revelations about herself.
About the Author
Rosa Montero is a Spanish journalist and author. Look for her on Goodreads.
My Opinion
Inspired by “Blade Runner”, Tears in Rain is a mystery/detective story with a science fiction backdrop and complex original characters. The author gives gritty detail to a future world with artificially created memories as a key element. Humans have created technohumans (AKA replicants, reps, or technos). Though sometimes referred to as androids, they are completely biological, genetically engineered from human DNA, and artificially grown for tasks too dangerous or unpleasant for humans. Technos are created at an apparent age of twenty-five with artificial childhood memories, including a memory of learning those memories are fake.
Born looking twenty-five, technos die a horrible death ten years later from a disorder called TTT (total techno tumor). Bruna obsesses over her expected death with the mantra ‘four years three months and twenty-nine days’, changing it daily as she counts down to the end. Bruna is at times frustratingly dysfunctional, clearly an alcoholic, and has difficultly dealing with people despite working in a profession that requires it. She often makes self-destructive choices, but she’s also strong, resilient, intuitive, and good at her job when she puts her mind to it. I particularly enjoyed her infiltration of a techno-hating human extremist group. Despite being complex and deeply flawed in ways that make her truly human, she’s still the target of prejudice and fear from 'real' humans. Very well done.
In addition to technos and the immediate mystery story, the author adds other elements to give the world a rich and complex feeling. In addition to aliens (one of whom befriends Bruna), there are two human splinter groups on satellite worlds in Earth orbit. Much of the world’s history is conveyed by entries in a Central Archive as it’s being edited by Bruna’s friend Yiannis. Some readers may consider these info-dumps (a no no!), but Yiannis’ ongoing effort to correct hacked/corrupted public information is an important part of the story.
I found the mystery and its resolution not as interesting as Bruna’s personal journey and the exploration of her world. I was bothered by the writer calling Bruna “the rep” or “the android” far too often and referring to other characters as “the memorist”, “the archivist”, etc. rather than using their names.
Conclusion
I greatly enjoyed the story and the audible version. The narrator does an excellent job of bringing Bruna and the author’s world to life. I give Tears in Rain a solid four stars and recommend this hidden gem to all science fiction fans. It is a bargain as a Kindle Unlimited option or $1.99 to buy.