C-27 is a robot jockey whose only purpose is to race. Robot jockeys’ humanoid bodies are light, designed not to weigh their live horse down, and coded to be the most efficient riders possible. But during one fateful race, C-27 falls off its horse and gets trampled on the track. How could a machine with a sole purpose go wrong? 

Well, it’s simple, really. This robot wanted to look up at the sky. 

With its legs destroyed, C-27 is destined to be scrapped for parts—until a young girl named Yeonjae finds it and takes it home. She works to replace C-27’s legs, naming the robot Coli and, in doing so, gives it a new sense of purpose. Because Coli is no ordinary robot; it has thoughts and questions and something that might even resemble feelings. 

Actually, it’s not quite that simple at all.

Yeonjae’s home is quiet and disconnected; she lives in a house with her world-weary mother Bogyeong, and her disabled sister Eunhye. They’re each fighting their own battles they don’t know how to articulate, least of all to their loved ones. As Yeonjae works to repair Coli, her family life starts to knit together in unexpected ways, while she also finds herself bonding with a fellow classmate named Jisu who barrels into her wall of loneliness. 

Coli slowly connects to each of them, allowing them to figure out what they need most from one another. When the group hears that Coli’s race-horse, aptly named Today, is about to be euthanized, they must work together to save her; Coli’s biggest desire, however, is to help Today find happiness by running one last race. 

A Thousand Blues is a calming and sincere novel that uses a futuristic element sparingly to bring out the rifts already forming within humanity. Set in the year 2035, the world is much like our own except even more jobs have been automated, and humans have already become too reliant on robots. But some humans are wary of too much change, or simply cannot afford to keep up with the relentless march of time. And then there are those humans who see the life held within machines, and there are the machines that see them; this is their story. 

The writing is direct but touching, showing us how Coli sees the world and the humans it meets. Through it, we get to see the diverse shades of humanity reflected back at us. Why do humans bond the way we do? Why do we sometimes seek to save a helpless case but we cannot save ourselves? A Thousand Blues explores the depths of its characters’ souls with a gentle hand, using Coli’s innocent curiosity to bring out the other characters’ motivations and desires. It’s a deft storytelling technique that will find its way into your heart. 

With poignant looks at sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, and the deep bonds of friendship and love, this novel is a lovely and refreshing read. In a time when many of us are questioning what we owe one another and how machines will affect our future, A Thousand Blues is a beautiful reminder to take a breath, slow down, and look around at what we need to hold onto.