The fiction debut of author Jayson Greene, this novel is set in a near-future society where the line between human and artificial intelligence is blurred. The story follows four interconnected characters: Anna, a grieving mother; Samantha, her son Alex’s best friend and the sole witness to his death; Cathy, a former addict turned expert on “uploads”; and Aviva, Anna’s own “upload,” a digital consciousness that has severed its link to her human source.
The central mystery that propels the novel is the ambiguous death of Anna’s son, Alex, from a cliff edge, with the characters circling around the unresolved tension: was it accident or suicide?.
UnWorld explores the concept of “uploads” — digital versions of people assembled from their memories and experiences which exist and interact alongside humans. The technology amplifies the emotional stakes, allowing grief, love, guilt, and identity to echo in both physical and digital forms.
In the narrative, Anna’s loss is compounded by being disconnected from her own upload, Aviva, who wanders the town’s digital infrastructure, hiding secrets tied to the tragedy.
The title UnWorld refers primarily to a virtual reality computer game central to the novel — one that Alex, the deceased son, played extensively. This game is described as a “creative sandbox” experience, resembling platforms like Minecraft or Roblox, in which emphasis is placed on crafting and creating worlds rather than passively exploring them.
Symbolically, UnWorld also captures the novel’s broader thematic landscape: it represents the liminal spaces between reality and simulation, human and artificial consciousness, and grief and healing.