Mol is intent on exploring how the Internet is changing the way we communicate, which is more than can be said for many contemporary Australian authors. But often he overdoes it. The text is filled with technological jargon, Internet-speak and Facebook messages. Mol crafts awkward metaphors by splicing the digital with the physical: ‘all the little waves look frozen, or like glitched-out graphics from Civilization II or Troy.’

While some may find Mol’s naïve voice grating, the main problem lies with the underdeveloped characters. As Mol might put it, they fail to ‘ruin’ us. The romance, for example, might be more engaging if we had a sense of who Lisa is and what she wants. But as it stands, it’s as if we’re looking at her through Mol’s eyes while he is squinting at her Facebook profile.