Moderation

"A love story for those who love Severance (both Ling Ma's book and the unaffiliated Apple TV+ series). . . ambitious, challenging, and brilliant." --Elle

"Castillo's flinty satire of the tech industry [transforms] into a sultry romance novel." --The Atlantic

A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace--​bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.

Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she's going places: she's getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon's purchase of Fairground--the world's preeminent virtual reality content provider--she's on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction.

Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all--she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground's wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she'll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.

Author: Elaine Castillo
Publisher: Viking
Published: 08/05/2025
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.02lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780593489666


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2025 pg. 2
Publishers Weekly 06/02/2025
Booklist 06/01/2025 pg. 29
Shelf Awareness 08/02/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025
BookPage 08/01/2025

About the Author
Elaine Castillo, named one of "30 of the Planet's Most Exciting Young People" by the Financial Times, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart, was a finalist for numerous prizes including the Elle Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, and the New York Public Library.