You probably did not expect a robot to want to be friends with a monk, not having the capacity to teach a human key things about life - but here we are!

Sibling Dex decided to learn to do something new and travel to experience nature - specifically, crickets. But as most things in life don't go according to plan, he strikes a deal in a first-ever human-robot encounter since the Awakening, which leads to a wild-built robot joining his journey in which they will both discover a lot about themselves and the world around them.

The story is set in a world where robots have awakened and decided to live apart from humans, made to explore questions of life, purpose, consciousness, balance, and happiness throughout a story of a touching unlikely friendship.

It has a somewhat slow start, but you can soon understand why this book got the Hugo award, as it explores many complex philosophical topics through dialogue that is simply but beautifully written.

I loved this book and the way it ended, and I'll be reading the sequel immediately.