Janelle Brown’s latest novel, What Kind of Paradise, arrives at a moment when questions about technology’s impact on human connection feel more urgent than ever. This ambitious work weaves together themes of parental manipulation, technological determinism, and the search for authentic identity in ways that feel both deeply personal and culturally prescient. Brown, whose previous novels including Pretty Things and Watch Me Disappear have established her as a master of psychological suspense, ventures into new territory here—crafting what might be her most complex and challenging work to date.
The Architecture of Isolation
The novel’s opening sections establish Jane Williams as a protagonist trapped within the suffocating embrace of her father’s ideology. Brown’s prose captures the claustrophobic nature of their Montana cabin with remarkable precision, creating a world where intellectual stimulation exists alongside emotional starvation. The father-daughter dynamic she constructs is particularly unsettling in its psychological complexity—Saul Williams emerges not as a simple villain but as a charismatic intellectual whose genuine love for his daughter becomes inextricably tangled with his own paranoid worldview.
Brown demonstrates considerable skill in depicting how isolation can warp perspective. Jane’s gradual awakening to the limitations of her world unfolds with authentic psychological realism. The author avoids the trap of making her protagonist’s rebellion sudden or dramatic; instead, Jane’s questioning emerges slowly, through small moments of doubt that accumulate like sediment. Her discovery of the photograph labeled “Esme and Theresa” becomes a pivotal moment not because of its dramatic revelation, but because it represents the culmination of seeds of suspicion that have been growing throughout her adolescence.
Digital Utopia and Its Discontents
When Jane escapes to 1990s San Francisco, Brown shifts into territory that showcases her deep understanding of technological culture. The Signal office, with its inflatable toys and perpetual caffeine highs, captures the manic optimism of the early internet era with both affection and critical distance. Brown’s depiction of the dot-com boom feels authentic without descending into mere nostalgia—she understands that this period’s technological utopianism was genuine, even as it proved naive.
The character of Lionel serves as an effective foil to Jane’s technological illiteracy, and their relationship develops with genuine emotional complexity. Brown avoids the temptation to make their romance the novel’s central focus, instead using it to explore how genuine human connection can flourish even within artificial environments. Their conversations about technology’s promise and peril feel organic rather than didactic, emerging naturally from their contrasting backgrounds and perspectives.
The Unabomber’s Shadow
Perhaps the novel’s boldest choice is its decision to reimagine the Unabomber narrative through the lens of family trauma. Brown’s fictionalized version of Ted Kaczynski becomes Adam Nowak, a character whose intellectual brilliance cannot disguise the fundamental selfishness of his choices. The author walks a careful line here—she neither romanticizes nor completely demonizes her terrorist figure, instead presenting him as a man whose legitimate concerns about technological progress became corrupted by paranoia and ego.
The novel’s exploration of radicalization feels particularly relevant to contemporary readers. Brown demonstrates how intellectual isolation can transform reasonable skepticism into dangerous extremism. Adam’s journey from concerned technologist to domestic terrorist unfolds through flashback sequences that reveal the gradual erosion of his moral boundaries. The author’s decision to present these sections in second person creates an uncomfortable intimacy that forces readers to confront how easily ideological conviction can justify terrible actions.
Narrative Structure and Pacing Challenges
While Brown’s ambition is admirable, “What Kind of Paradise” occasionally struggles under the weight of its multiple narrative threads. The three-part structure—moving from Jane’s childhood through her San Francisco awakening to the final confrontation—creates natural dramatic arcs, but the transitions between sections can feel abrupt. The shift from Jane’s perspective to Esme’s identity, while thematically important, sometimes creates confusion about which aspects of her character development should take precedence.
The pacing in the middle section, set in the Signal office, occasionally slows as Brown indulges in period detail that, while atmospheric, doesn’t always serve the central narrative momentum. The dot-com world she creates is rich and immersive, but some readers may find the technical discussions and workplace dynamics less engaging than the psychological thriller elements that drive the novel’s beginning and end.
Character Development and Emotional Authenticity
Brown excels at creating characters whose motivations feel psychologically authentic even when their actions are extreme. Jane/Esme’s evolution from isolated teenager to self-aware young woman unfolds with convincing complexity. The author avoids the temptation to make her protagonist entirely sympathetic—Jane’s complicity in her father’s crimes, however unwitting, creates genuine moral ambiguity that enriches the narrative.
The supporting characters, particularly Brianna and the Signal office crew, feel lived-in and authentic rather than merely functional. Brown has a gift for capturing the casual intimacy of workplace relationships, the way shared projects and caffeine-fueled late nights can create genuine bonds between unlikely people. These relationships provide emotional grounding that prevents “What Kind of Paradise” from becoming too cerebral or abstract.
Contemporary Relevance and Thematic Resonance
The novel’s exploration of technology’s double-edged nature feels remarkably prescient given our current digital landscape. Brown’s 1990s setting allows her to examine the moment when the internet transformed from a niche tool to a cultural force, and her insights about that transformation illuminate many of our contemporary digital dilemmas. The tension between connection and isolation, between information access and manipulation, between technological progress and human values—these themes resonate strongly with readers navigating social media, artificial intelligence, and digital surveillance.
The mother-daughter reunion between Jane and Tess Trevante provides one of the novel’s most emotionally complex sequences. Brown’s portrayal of Tess as a brilliant but emotionally unavailable woman who prioritizes her career over maternal responsibility could have felt stereotypical, but the author imbues the character with enough complexity to make her choices feel tragically authentic rather than simply cruel.
Literary Craftsmanship and Style
Brown’s prose style adapts effectively to her shifting perspectives and time periods. The Montana sections employ a more introspective, almost pastoral voice that reflects Jane’s isolated upbringing, while the San Francisco sequences buzz with the energy and optimism of the dot-com era. The author’s ability to capture different technological moments—from the clunky dial-up modems of the 1990s to the philosophical discussions about AI’s potential—demonstrates both research skills and genuine understanding of how technology shapes consciousness.
The dialogue feels particularly authentic in “What Kind of Paradise”, avoiding the trap of having characters speak in exposition. The conversations between Jane and Lionel about technology, philosophy, and identity emerge naturally from their relationship rather than feeling like authorial mouthpieces. Brown has a good ear for how people actually talk, including the hesitations and contradictions that characterize real conversation.
Minor Criticisms and Areas for Improvement
While “What Kind of Paradise” succeeds on multiple levels, certain elements feel underdeveloped. The resolution of Jane’s relationship with her mother feels somewhat rushed, and readers may find themselves wanting more exploration of how their reunion might have evolved under different circumstances. Additionally, some of the philosophical discussions about technology’s impact, while intellectually engaging, occasionally feel more theoretical than emotionally grounded.
The novel’s length allows for comprehensive character development, but some subplots could have been streamlined without losing essential narrative elements. The Signal office politics, while atmospheric, sometimes distract from the central psychological drama of Jane’s identity crisis and moral awakening.
Final Assessment
What Kind of Paradise represents an ambitious and largely successful attempt to grapple with fundamental questions about technology, family, and identity. Brown has created a novel that works simultaneously as a coming-of-age story, a technological thriller, and a meditation on the nature of human connection in an increasingly digital world. While the book occasionally struggles with pacing and narrative focus, its emotional authenticity and thematic relevance make it a compelling read for anyone interested in how technological change intersects with personal transformation.
The novel’s exploration of radicalization and family trauma feels particularly urgent in our current political climate, and Brown’s refusal to provide easy answers to complex questions demonstrates intellectual honesty that readers will appreciate. This is a book that will likely spark discussion and debate, which seems entirely appropriate given its subject matter.
Recommended Reading
Readers who appreciate What Kind of Paradise might also enjoy:
- The Circle by Dave Eggers – Another exploration of technology’s impact on human relationships
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – For its examination of how civilization and technology intersect
- My Education by Susan Choi – A coming-of-age story with similar psychological complexity
- The Power by Naomi Alderman – For its blend of personal transformation and social commentary
- Trust Exercise by Susan Choi – Another novel exploring the unreliability of memory and identity
Janelle Brown has crafted a novel that feels both timely and timeless, addressing concerns that will likely resonate with readers for years to come. While not without its flaws, What Kind of Paradise stands as a thoughtful and engaging exploration of how we become who we are in an age of technological transformation.