Today’s review is about THE INFINITE SADNESS OF SMALL APPLIANCES by Glenn Dixon. It’s a standalone short novel in which appliances are sentient in the near future. Here, a Roomba embarks on a mission to keep her humans from being kicked out of their house by the omnipresent Grid.
Author: Glenn Dixon
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: April 07, 2026
Print Length: 224
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The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances Synopsis
Synopsis
In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel.
In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold’s stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he’s lived in for fifty years.
With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie’s formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.
The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances Review
THE INFINITE SADNESS OF SMALL APPLIANCES takes place in a near-future Earth. To make life easier and safer, every house is on the Grid, including appliances large and small. In one such smart house, Harold takes care of his dying wife, Edie, while the appliances bear witness to this life change. After his wife passes, the Grid tries to remove Harold from his home. But Scout, the sentient Roomba, won’t let the Grid kick Harold out so easily.
At its surface, this standalone short novel initially comes off as somewhat lighthearted and tender, Edie’s passing aside. Scout–who names herself after a character in To Kill A Mockingbird, one of Harold’s favorite books–shouldn’t have feelings. She’s an appliance, after all, a piece of technology. But as she watches her humans during their elder years, she begins to feel things. Or, rather, a tightening and fizzing of circuits that she akins to emotions. It was cute to read about Scout discussing emotions and Harold’s life with the other appliances in the house.
However, there is an undercurrent of dystopia that simmers to the top as the story moves onward. Scout, a newer appliance to the house, isn’t familiar with the history of Kate, Harold’s and Edie’s daughter. Scout also isn’t supposed to be questioning things. Too many questions catch the attention of the Grid and can result in a memory wipe. Appliances are to serve and help humans, not develop friendships with them. The Grid is omnipresent and knows everything, courtesy of living in a smart house where it records everything, from conversations to vital signs.
Because Harold now lives alone, the Grid deems it time for him to give up his spacious house. It doesn’t care about his memories or grief. This doesn’t sit right with Scout or Kate, who essentially try to thwart the Grid’s efforts. These moments are when the dystopia more obviously rears its head. When the dystopian element became more prominent, I naturally wanted to know more. However, THE INFINITE SADNESS OF SMALL APPLIANCES isn’t that kind of story.
It doesn’t analyze in depth the merits and disadvantages of the ever-seeing Grid and how it overreaches. Rather, the focus is mostly on the Scout’s existentialism and her willingness to challenge the status quo to do what’s right for Harold. While I personally like a deeper dive into dystopian themes, I thought it a bit refreshing and hopeful to focus on the human element. This is also very Brave Little Toaster coded, which the author verifies in his Author’s Note at the end. Overall, this is a hopeful read set amongst a near-future dystopian world.
Rating: 3.5
Content warnings: death, cancer
Reading format: Kindle e-book
I was really curious to know your thoughts on this one and, to be honest, I am quite happy to read that the dystopian element is not so deeply treated (I am sorry for your disappointment, obviously, but I am happy for myself 😅). Anyway, now I am even more curious about it!!
I’m glad the dystopian element not being front and center makes you happy! I think for this reason it appeals more widely to readers. 🙂
This sounds really good! I can see why you wanted more dystopian though, but I guess it was just more focused on Scout’s personal story. Maybe a longer book could have done both equally?
Yea, once the dystopian element hit I kind of wanted to know more! But I understand why the author didn’t get too deep into it since that’s not what he wanted to focus on.
I hadn’t heard of this one until I saw it mentioned in another of your posts but I really want to read it now. Admittedly I may come away craving a deeper dive into the dystopian side of things but the ideas too unusual to resist and it’ll be interesting to see if a story that focuses on the emotional side of things works for me or not. Lovely review 🥰
I only found out about this book thanks to someone I follow on bookstagram. Before that it wasn’t on my radar at all. You should read it because the premise is pretty unique!
Great review. I can see how you would want to know more about the dystopian side of things. I always want to know more about dystopian societies and how they got to be in that position. It still sounds like a good story though.
Same! But at the same time I can understand why the author didn’t want to flesh out the dystopian bits more…the focus seemed to be on the relationship between the appliances and the humans.