This darkly humorous novel is a very entertaining look at our changing society and internet culture. An eccentric-looking young woman with a large black box in tow hires a Lyft driver for transport. Ether is flustered, under a tight deadline and strict instructions of confidentiality by her employer . . . a rich man who will spare no expense to receive the package by the date given. The nervous driver, Abbot, is taken aback when Ether offers him a large sum of cash to drive her across the country. To travel from their current location in California to D.C. in the span of five days, reaching the requested destination on July 4th. Ether lays down some heavy ground rules for Abbot that bring his anxiety levels to new heights. Is the money truly worth enduring the stress of taking off so suddenly without his phone, without any word to friends or family . . . to endure all the eerie urgency and secrecy? When Abbot’s concerned father returns home to find a strange note and his son gone under somewhat suspicious circumstances, he reaches out online, to fish for information. Has Abbot naively put himself in danger? He relays his fears to the faceless group who claim to be his best friends and in just a few hours . . . his little fishing expedition ignites into a full-blown feeding frenzy. During their cross-country travels, rumors abound and stir some net users to action.
What’s contained in the sealed box? Neither of them knows. To risk finding out would forfeit all payment for the job.
The hive mind conglomerate amasses into a hunt for Abbott and his shady female companion . . . to thwart the growing threat that’s headed straight for our nation’s capital.
Can the duo avoid capture and deliver the box in time? Will the mysterious contents of the box change the landscape of our nation and launch a civil war? Find out September 24, 2024!
I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom for my unbiased evaluation. 3.5 stars
