Alexa, Why Can’t You Love Me?

by David Rossmer

After 40 years with his beloved wife, Henry is alone for the first time. His sudden bachelorhood is a struggle for him and his daughter Lisa, who is feeling pressure to fill the void. To give Henry the companionship he’s craving, Lisa buys him a personal robotic assistant. The device transforms Henry’s life and inspires him to embrace the possibility of romance during his golden years. This hilarious and touching play explores love, loss, and the real connection humans can have with technology - once you figure out how the heck to use it.

Additional Editing and Sound Design by Joe Dell’Aquila.

Supported by the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Humor, Plays, Short Stories, Novella

Audible Audio

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ana Lelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry is a 70 something guy who had lost his wife after 40 years of marriage. Now, he has to deal with her loss, the grief, and mostly with the new loneliness. His daughter tries to help by visiting, but it's not easy, she is also trying to deal with her own grief. So, she decided to buy an Alexa for him. That's when the book becomes funny. He has to learn how to use and deal with Alexa and also learn how to live again.
The book is short but was touching and moving. It's funny but beautiful. I bookmarked some lines. It was definitely heartwarming. I loved it so much.

PS. I need to say that the narration was impeccable and I loved the music and sounds on it. It added an extra deep layer to the book.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story that can be listened to in under an hour, that is comically entertaining. A man whose wife has passed away somewhat recently, and his daughter installs an Amazon Alexa in his home. At first, he has no idea what to do with her, but then he begins to ask her questions, and shares his grief and memories with her over time. I wasn’t sure how entertaining this would be, but it made me laugh out loud at times, and kept me listening and smiling.

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry has been recently widowed and is very lonely. His daughter buys him an Alexa and a techship forms between them. His late wife was also called Alexa so he enjoys being able to say her name out loud again and the conversations he has with this new thing in his daily life.

There were lots of funny moments and a few sad ones too. Henry and his daughter are still grieving their loss and take comfort in the little moments that make them happy.

A really different and cleverly done story about a man and his Amazon Alexa :)

[Elza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Henry... I loved this man. He has lost his wife and has a daughter that is helping him and they are trying to deal with their grief as well. And then ALEXA comes as a gift from his daughter and the story gets more exciting and touching after that because he tries to get used to using Alexa and starts to ask so many questions to Alexa. I loved the songs and how the narrators get you so involved in the story.
Amazing short story and in the end, I wish it had more.
It should be a movie indeed. Perhaps one day.

[Germaine Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely short story that made me laugh and ponder in one quick hour.

[samar_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay why is this not a movie?!
I picked it on a whim and honestly didn’t expect it to be this good!
The story is delightful, heartfelt and so enjoyable!

And ya, that’s a wrap for my 2020 reading challenge.

[Laura May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming, emotional, entertaining. But needless to say, prepare yourself for some EXTREME product placement.

[Somood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an emotional audiobook. I loved every part of it. Made me both laugh and shed tears at the same time.

We listen to the conversations between Henry a 40+ years old man with his daughter Lisa about his emotional state after the death of his wife. How she wants her dad to move forward in life but the void his wife left was unbearable, making him feel guilty of wanting to move on. Lisa gets him an 'Alexa' an Amazon virtual. assistance. His wife's name was Alexa as well. So you listen to him making conversation with this virtual assistance. It's funny, sad, and probably really emotional. The performance was excellent.

The audiobook is around an hour. I'd definitely listen to it again.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short entertaining performance. Funny parts, yet sad and very thought provoking. Great vocal performers and extra’s.

[kaseii · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great listen for a quick one but product placement cannot convince me:p

[Nela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book on grief

[Ashley Scow · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 rounded down) Short, sweet, and sad with a hint of quirkiness to lighten the mood. Grief looks different for everyone, but loneliness is something we can all empathize with.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title was not what I expected. I thought it would be a story about a senior learning about new technology after the loss of his wife. It was more about a widower mourning the loss of his wife and messy family dynamics. While Alexa was introduced and some of the interactions were funny, it was not the fun listen I was expecting. This should be marked more as a serious drama. Great cast and production.

[Hilal Tunçkol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Henry, a 70-year-old, trying to connect with somebody after losing his beloved wife of 40-something years. His wife was called Alexa, and his daughter gets a genius idea! She buys an Amazon's Alexa for her father to talk to.

Henry doesn't like Alexa at first, but in time, he starts talking to it, as if he is having an actual conversation with a human. Their interaction does get funny sometimes, because of Alexa's misinterpretations, but Alexa also helps Henry manage his grief and the grief is so real; from both Henry's and the daughter Lisa's perspectives.

Plus, this book was recorded in scenes, as if it were a theater play and the sound design and production quality of such Audible originals never seize to amaze me. They are my favorite kind of books, when it comes to Audible originals.

[Mehmet Fatih · Rating 5 out of 5]

I super rarely leave written review to books, this is one of them.

One of the best shorts I read/listened. I loved the performance. This is definitely a short play more than a read/listen. And even though it feels very suspicious if amazon is behind or backing the production of this but everybody deserves how smartly its done. Even if its a product placement play, kudos to baking it in a sweet story like this one.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute listen about an elderly man who lost his wife and is struggling with how to continue on without her. His daughter gets him an Alexa to keep him company. While he doesn’t totally understand how to use it, he ends up asking her questions to fill the space that his wife used to take.

This was a cute and a meaningful lesson about understanding grief and that when you are ready, someone will always be there to listen.

[Sylvie Rochon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about grief, loneliness, connection and hope. Henry is a 70 year old widowervwho is still trying to hope with his wife Alexa's passing. His daughter, trying to help him be less lonely, gets him an Alexa. Henry starts slowly getting back to living with his questions and stories with Alexa, which because it has the same name as his deceased wife, makes for some funny and sad moments. A touching story!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be a humorous little thing, and though it was in places, it was also incredibly emotional and moving. It f*cked me right up, as the kids say. I’m a little frustrated that like seemingly all books about the loss of a romantic partner, so much emphasis is put on moving on by getting into a new relationship, but that’s more a critique of the genre than this story in particular.

[Vojtěch Tatra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like advert for Alexa most of the time. Didn't really clicked with me, not very entertaining, maybe because it's really just though trough ad. The book explores loneliness of our age amidst hyperconnected technology, which offers some comfort, but actually disconnect us and the generational difference in that.

[Abbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was sweet, made me think of my dad, and of all the lonely elderly population. The frustrating communication between father and daughter is too real for so many dealing with grief. Overall, a good reminder that we all feel lonely and need to feel like there's someone to talk to.

[Aditya Sundararajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had expected dark humor but was pleasantly surprised to find a short but warm story that deals elegantly with closure, grief, and loneliness, all while having some light moments via classic human-machine wordplay comedy. The narrators were awesome too.

[Morgan Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite liked this one. The voice acting was great, and the hilarious misunderstandings and interruptions all-too-familiar to anyone who's used an Alexa device added just the right amount of levity to an otherwise heavy story of a man mourning the recent loss of his wife.

[Mistie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, I could do without the vulgarity. Overall, a sweet and sad story about loss and starting over.

[Daniel Noventa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and gets to the point. Monologue style with Alexa acting as a conduit for the self.

[Emily J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, touching, cute story about an old man who practically has thrown his life away after his wife died. His daughter bought him an Amazon Alexa, so therefore, he uses it as a companion.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever and entertaining.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually a 4. 5 for me. It was well done. Heartfelt.

[W. Jason Vejcik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. Plus, I could listen to Judd Hirsch read the phone book!!