Bubblegum is a 2020 science fiction novel by Adam Levin. The novel takes place in Illinois, though in a reality where "curios" — flesh-based robots — are common, and the internet does not exist.
About the Author
Bubblegum is Adam Levin's third publication, and he teaches about creative writing in Chicago, Illinois. His stories often include dark humor and take place in fictional settings. Bubblegum was released in April 2020 being his most recent publication, and his earliest publication was The Instructions released in 2010. The protagonist, Belt Magnet, in Bubblegum shares similarities with Adam Levin, being that they are both writers and they are both from Chicago. Levin typically writes about himself in his writings or mentions his own features throughout the book.
Background
Levin spent approximately a decade writing the novel. Originally, Levin wrote a short story featuring the protagonist of Bubblegum, Belt Magnet, which he has referred to as "terrible". The story was not published, and Levin later combined some of its elements with an instruction manual for the in-universe curios featured in Bubblegum, producing the earliest versions of the book.
Plot
The novel is a first-person narrative told by the protagonist, Belt Magnet, or "Billy." It begins in the 1980s with Belt's childhood memories of growing up near Chicago and developing friendships in school using derogatory family phrases to defend one's honor or to get a laugh. One of Belt's phrases become a hit among the kids in school because of Jonboat, a new blonde-haired rich kid in town. The two decide to make t-shirts and have a detailed discussion of what the shirts should look like - arguing down to the specific grammar on the shirt. This in-depth grammatical discussion is an example of Belt's mental process during his life.
As an adult, Belt still lives with and depends on his father, Clyde. He smokes a large number of cigarettes daily and justifies this as a memorial to his deceased mother who smoked. After his mother's passing, Belt wrote a book called No Please Don’t which was not a big hit but is mentioned many times throughout the novel. Belt is always pleasantly surprised when he finds out people have appreciated his work, even if not in the way he intended. Much of Belt's thoughts focus on meditations around family, friendship, and intimate relationships.
Belt believes he can (and possibly actually can) communicate with inanimate objects, called "inans," and as a young teen helps several local swing sets "end their suffering" by bashing them with a baseball bat. No one presses charges after Belt agrees never to do it again and he promises his mother he will not destroy other people's property, even with that property's permission.
Shortly after the last swing set murder, Belt's mother begins having issues due to the tumor growing in her brain and Belt is selected to be among the first people given a new type of pet aimed at helping people with mental health issues.
These pets, called a "Botimal" or "Curio" are a newly engineered flesh-and-bone "robot" that fits in your hand and purports to help people cope with issues like depression. "Cures," as they are eventually called, can dance, do tricks, mimic sounds, are exceedingly cute, and can even clone themselves. Most people believe they are not sentient creatures and Belt develops a significant attachment to his Curio, which he names Blank. There are times when Belt chooses to show off Blank and other times when he refuses to let anyone see it.
Curios become very popular and a huge industry emerges, selling supplies, habitats, and eventually supplemental drugs that can change or enhance the curios or their clones. It seems that everyone owns one or more curios and older ones are worth more money because they keep getting cuter and cuter as they age. Very few live more than a few years, though, since most people view curios as a non-sentient being, and have no qualms in "overloading" on their curios, which is killing them and enjoying the "pain-song" they sing as they die. Belt's curio Blank eventually becomes the oldest living curio in the world but Belt does not allow anyone to know this.