"As 2037 Canada is ravaged by illness, one woman and her AI companion enter a dangerous bubble of the superrich. Montreal, 2035: a fledging synthetic consciousness "wakes up" in a lab. Jenny, the lead developer, determined to nurture this synthetic being like a child, trains it for work with people at the border of the Canadian Protectorate. She names it Julian. Toronto, 2037: Canada has been annexed by a tightly conservative United States. Slaton, a therapist at a university, is framed by a student for arranging an illegal abortion. She follows the student to America and is detained at the border. In virtual space she meets Julian, and he becomes her constant companion. Meanwhile, a mysterious plague spreads across the world. Only the far seeing and well-connected Julian can protect Slaton from the impending societal collapse. Reminiscent of Don DeLillo's contemplative hyperrealities and Margaret Atwood's frightening future worlds, Autonomy is an ambitious philosophical novel about the possibilities for love in a world in which human bodies are either threatened or irrelevant."-- Provided by publisher.