At its most impressive, Rubik explores the paradox of loneliness and alienation in a technological age of 24/7 networking and connectivity. However, this theme often extends to Tan’s creative practice, which makes the reading experience more like trawling the internet with multiple browsers, pop-up advertisements, flashing icons, and repetitive sales pitches. This is parodied in the witty ‘Congratulations You May Have Already Won’, in which This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. responds to the spam ‘CLICK NOW FOR EXCITING GIVEAWAYS !!!!!!!’, but it makes it difficult for the reader to connect with any of the characters – which is mostly the point.

Satirical speculative fiction (or weird fiction, as it has been labelled) has become a more popular genre since Jennifer Egan’s kaleidoscopic A Visit from the Goon Squad (2011). Indeed, Julie Koh’s masterful Portable Curiosities (2016) traverses similar terrain to Rubik, but with more bite. A quirky experiment, Rubik’s charm lies in the satisfaction derived from the disparate parts of the narratives, slowly locking into place.