In Elaine Castillo's second novel, Moderation, a moderator for a social media site thrives in the psychologically challenging role precisely because she has closed herself off to emotion and romance--until she meets her new boss on a virtual reality project.
Thirtysomething Filipinx American "Girlie Delmundo" (the pseudonym she chose) is a top-performing moderator at Reeden's Las Vegas office, reviewing and removing distressing violent and sexually explicit content all day long. That Girlie is the sole "Subject Matter Specialist" on child sexual abuse indicates how tough she is--but also that she has personal experience of victimization. As the family's eldest daughter, she feels financially responsible for her mother, a nurse, and the five other relatives who live with them. When she's offered a promotion to Playground, a VR theme park project acquired by Reeden, she can't pass up the astronomical pay rise.
Playground specializes in re-creating historical spectacles, like the Roman gladiators and the St. Louis World's Fair. The real-time VR moderator job involves suppressing violence, racism, and sexual harassment. The challenge is nothing Girlie can't handle. But what does bother her is her growing attraction to Playground boss William Cheung, who's from Hong Kong via London. Castillo (America Is Not the Heart) unfolds this relationship slowly and convincingly.
Castillo renders all the VR spaces effectively, but it's even more delightful to be in her real world of mostly queer people of color--Girlie's cousin's birthday party is a hoot. A winning combination of cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned romance, this is perfect for fans of The Ministry of Time and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader, and blogger at Bookish Beck