Deleted by Ruth Mitchell – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

Deleted by Ruth Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deleted is a young adult sci-fi book by Ruth Mitchell. The story takes place in the near future – a few decades on from where we are now. Technology has progressed with digital assistants connected directly to most people’s minds.
Our protagonist Lucy, a philosophy student, is one of the few people app developer Marco has ever met who still relies on a smartphone rather than the much more convenient Spex. She is concerned about privacy and security, and it turns out her concerns are not unfounded. It is possible, it turns out, to hack people’s minds through their Spex and while Lucy’s reluctance to embrace the technology keeps her mind safe, it doesn’t stop other people’s memories of her being accessed and erased.
This is an enticing story, and an interesting exploration of the advantages and dangers of technology. It also touches upon how fragile our memories are, even without technology that’s vulnerable to hacking.
This is a great book for teens and young adults who are interested in how technology can develop in the future, and concerned about privacy and how their data is used. The near future setting means much of the world seems familiar, so it would be a good starting point for readers who are just beginning to get into sci-fi. It’s also a fun, thought-provoking read for adults – I thoroughly enjoyed it! It gets 5 stars from me!

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