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The Unseen World: A Novel Paperback – June 13, 2017

by Liz Moore (Author)

4.3 1,788 ratings

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Long Bright River: The moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past.

Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David’s mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David’s colleagues. Soon she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World’s heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion.

Print length

466 pages
Language

English
Publication date

June 13, 2017
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.4 x 8.3 inches
ISBN-10

0393354415
ISBN-13

978-0393354416
Lexile measure

920L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Enthralling….An elegant and ethereal novel about identity and the dawn of artificial intelligence, and a convincing interior portrait of a young woman."
― Washington Post

"[A] captivating new page-turner, The Unseen World is a wry, gentle coming-of-age story and an intriguing glimpse into the development of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, both early on and as envisioned for the future. It is also an incisive, insightful, and compassionate examination of the complexities of family and identity."
― Boston Globe

"Fiercely intelligent....Moore evocatively renders the remoteness of even our closest loved ones."
― New York Times Book Review

"A carefully crafted digital mystery."
― Dallas Morning News

"I was so thoroughly engaged with The Unseen World. What a wonderful, fulfilling, riveting read, alive with complex characters, a thrilling story, wit, and, above all, a deep sense of compassion."
― Jami Attenberg, author of All This Could Be Yours

"I absolutely love this wise, compassionate novel that challenges our definitions of family, of intelligence, and of love. Equal parts cerebral and heartbreaking, The Unseen World is utterly compelling, and its heroine Ada Sibelius is irresistible in all her thorny vulnerability. Liz Moore has given us a masterful version of our own modern condition, and I cannot wait to place this book in the hands of my most ardent reader friends."
― Robin Black, author of Life Drawing

"The Unseen World is a compelling read with vibrant, finely constructed characters. Moore intertwines a complex coming of age story with the science of cryptology and the history of artificial intelligence, while simultaneously exploring the meaning of love, loss and belonging. . . Elements of mystery and suspense keep you turning the pages in this multi-layered gem of a book."
― LibraryReads

"In sparse, urgent prose, Liz Moore delivers a staggeringly beautiful meditation on love, legacy, and the emotional necessities that make life worth living. That lump in your throat? You won’t quite know how it got there―nor believe how long it will stick around once the final page is turned."
― Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife

"From the first page to the last, The Unseen World held me spellbound. I am Liz Moore’s biggest fan, and after you read her new surprising, big-hearted novel you will be too."
― Ann Hood, author of The Obituary Writer

"The Unseen World is a deeply compelling novel about the intimate mystery of family. The story of how the brilliant Ada decodes the past and grapples with her eccentric father’s legacy is gripping, touching, and wonderfully intelligent."
― Dana Spiotta, author of Stone Arabia

"Beautiful, redemptive, and utterly devastating. The kind of world I want to live in would be penned by Liz Moore."
― Alex Gilvarry, author of From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant

About the Author

Liz Moore is the author of the acclaimed novel Heft. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (June 13, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 466 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393354415
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393354416
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #900,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,985 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #12,516 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #41,682 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,788 ratings

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Liz Moore

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Liz Moore is the author of four novels: The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, and Long Bright River. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.

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1,788 global ratings

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Stan Darsh

Typical Liz Moore

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

Just an outstanding writer. I read Heft & River before I was aware of this one. She is in that category of writers whose books you not only pre-order, but count the days till they arrive.

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

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The leader of an AI lab in Boston gets Alzheimer's, but there are doubts as to his true identity after he leaves. It is devastating to his 12 year old daughter, Ada, -- the diagnosis, the mystery of his true identity, and living with David's co-worker, Liston, and her three sons. David leaves Ada a puzzle, with the answer waiting for her in ELIXIR, the AI language acquisition program he started. This was a very good book, with excellent writing. I was so impressed with Liz Moore, the author, that I ordered Heft half way through The Unseen World.

2 people found this helpful

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Jessica Sullivan

Beautiful, profound and devastating

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016

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This is a beautiful, profound book that requires a deep level of commitment and investment from the reader. It’s a slow burn, there’s not a lot of dialogue, and it’s 451 pages long. But it’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re in good hands, the kind that will reward you both emotionally and cerebrally if you take the plunge.

I went into it knowing very little, and I had no idea what to expect. How deep would the artificial intelligence aspects of it go? Who were these characters? This vague sense of mystery and wonder begins in the first pages and builds steadily through to the end.

At its core, The Unseen World is a coming-of-age story about Ada, the strange, thoughtful, brilliant daughter of David Sibelius, a computer scientist at a prestigious university lab in the 1980s. Ada spends the formative years of her life in the lab with David and his colleagues, where she comes to share her father’s love for mathematics, cryptology and puzzle-solving.

When David suddenly falls ill, Ada’s peaceful world is upended. On top of that, she begins to suspect that David has been harboring secrets, and will spend the next couple decades of her life trying to decode the mysteries of his life.

The Unseen World is a fully realized novel about one family’s legacy, but more than that, it’s about what it means to be human: the inevitability of hurting the ones we care about the most, and the redemptive power of love, loyalty and forgiveness.

By the time I reached the final pages, I was completely blown away (and devastated) by how it had all come together — like one of David’s and Ada’s puzzles. Every piece of it made sense, every piece of it was an essential part of the whole.

39 people found this helpful

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Joan

Interesting But Not Overwhelmed

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016

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On this one, I'm wavering between three and four stars. The three is because of the frequent jumping back and forth in time. Many novels go back and forth in time but this one seemed a bit confusing. Again three stars as I felt part of the ending was predictable. (No spoiler here) Four stars come into play for the excellent way Moore rolled out and described David (the Father's) decline with Alzheimers disease. At times I felt Ada was too smart, so much so that even at her level some of what she did and felt were not believable. I was conflicted feeling sorry for her being brought up with such a profound lack of emotion and address to her needs as a young girl.... also angry at how little she appreciated Liston's care and devotion to her and her well being. The book moved slowly in the beginning with the portion about AI. It picked up in spots and generally it was a good read, at times too technical.

One person found this helpful

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Ann deveney

I visited the Unseen World

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2023

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This was not just a wonderfully unexpected little book but a journey back in time to the Savin Hill I knew in my youth growing up on “the other side of the bridge”. I recognized St William’s School and revisited the Dorchester that lives in the unseen world that exists in my dreams.
Thank you Liz Moore!

One person found this helpful

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Luigi616

Great Book!

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2019

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The story starts out being of the 3-star caliber: well-written, but nothing really special.
But just when you think this is going to be another sad sobbing family drama, the real story unfolds and turning it into a 5-star novel for me. I absolutely loved the relationship between Ada and her father, and how it evolves over time. I also loved the role of ELIXER and the book's ending - sorry to be so cryptic but I don't want to say too much as I don't want to give the plot.
Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, I guess the only complaint I have is that Liz Moore took a little bit too long with setting the story.

8 people found this helpful

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Bill

Is the Future Here Now?

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2018

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A really good book which is so real that you feel you are right there. It covers a long period of time with the primary character being Ada Sebelius who at the beginning of the book is 12 and at the end is an old lady. Her “father” is David, whom she always calls by that first name. David is a very intelligent scientist – computer person at the very beginning of the computer era, when computers filled whole rooms. (That’s almost unbelievable these days, although I’m certainly old enough to remember those days.) One of the primary themes is developing artificial intelligence including a device/program called ELIXIR . (Think Amazon Alexa, only ELIXIR as it developed went much farther and much more developed as scientists continued working on it. There are many levels to the story, including the mysterious origin of David himself. The ending is practically unbelievable, and I found that a real reach, but maybe one day such a thing might be a reality, hopefully after I’m long gone. I won’t spell it out here, as I don’t want to spoil it for those who may read the book. Author Liz Moore is an amazing writer with a vast understanding of the subject matter.

7 people found this helpful

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Sandra

Well written story of hope, human frailty and overcoming

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019

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Enjoy this beautifully unfolding story of a young girl, Ada, thrown into a world from which she has been sheltered. Her genius father has a secret which redefines Ada's identity. It is an intimate look into the heart and mind of Ada as she discovers hard truths of imperfect life. This book kept me turning pages. I enjoyed the twists and turns. Each of the characters were well developed. I will look for other books by Liz Moore.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

EKAR

Imaginative and utterly engaging

Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

An amazing story of great scope. About the need for and nature of interaction, connection, understanding and compassion. Elixir is a creation and a creator, a repository of memories, thoughts, experiences, a chronicler of the lives of a family, and their friends and colleagues. The relationship between a daughter and her eccentric, enigmatic but loving father form the core of the story.

Amazon Customer

The Unseen World

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was enthralled by this book from start to finish.
I enjoyed the way it was written over different time lines, going back and forth over Ada' s life.
I experienced laughter, sadness, despair, frustration, happiness, anxiety and relief, the emotions that Ada must have felt throughout her life. It demonstrated the utter hellishness of dementia, a disease that always takes.
I miss Ada and David already and wish I could enter the unseen world if nothing else to give them both a big hug and say thanks.

LRO

Reviewed in Germany on October 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a well-written, extremely interesting investigation of the relationship between machines and not-machines (sometimes known as human beings). What could the unseen world be and how does it combine with the physical world?
I recommend this book as an enjoyable reading experience as well as a thought-provoking experience.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Very absorbing read and I enjoyed it very much. I carried it everywhere with me so that I could sneak a read whenever I could!
I have only given it four as I felt the pace slowed towards the end and I felt it could have been a bit slicker.
Other than that, highly recommended.

Amazon Customer

Thank you Liz Moore

Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

One of the best novels read this year. Really profound description of the relation father-daughter and the intricacies of the past. A step up from the other novel by Liz Moore, Heft.

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