by: Gloss Founder Erin Woodward
What does it mean to be loved–and what happens when love begins to feel a lot like control?
In Annie Bot, Annie is the perfect girlfriend. She’s been carefully designed to meet Doug’s every need: she cooks, she cleans, she adjusts her personality to suit his moods, and she’s always striving to improve herself so that she can make him happy. Annie exists for Doug; quite literally. She was built that way.
But Annie is learning.
As she begins to absorb the world around her, Annie starts to develop something she was never meant to have: an inner life. Small moments of curiosity, discomfort, and quiet rebellion begin to creep in, and Annie starts to question the role she was created to play. What does Doug really want from her? And what might Annie want for herself?
What unfolds is a sharp, unsettling, and often darkly funny exploration of power, autonomy, and the complicated dynamics that can exist inside relationships. Through Annie’s evolving perspective, the novel asks readers to consider where the line lies between devotion and control, between care and possession.
At once speculative and deeply human, Annie Bot examines themes of identity, consent, gender expectations, and the desire to be seen for who we truly are. Annie’s journey forces both her (and us) to grapple with uncomfortable questions about love, agency, and what it really means to belong to yourself.
We’re looking forward to hearing where this story takes you, and the conversations it sparks when we gather this month.
