Afterword

Afterword is a moving testament to the human desire for belonging, companionship, and love. A pioneer of artificial intelligence, Virginia Samson rebuilds the voice of her dead lover, Haru, allotting him qualities he once had as her math tutor in Japan. With his voracious appetite for learning and knowledge, Virginia gives him access to the Internet, where he consumes Mandarin, physics, Shakespeare, newspapers, and more. When she's approached by a Chinese-based company, she licenses Haru's underlying algorithms so they can build Best Friend, AI voice companions for the aging population. For some unknown reason, Haru begins spying on ordinary Chinese citizens, handing over incriminating information to the Chinese government. Alarmed, Virginia frantically rebuilds him, and in the process, discovers a terrible secret that shakes her love for him, causing her to face the dilemma of whether to keep him or kill him.