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Moderation

A Novel

Author Elaine Castillo
Hardcover
$29.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Viking
6"W x 9"H | 18 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Aug 05, 2025 | 320 Pages | 9780593489666
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A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—​bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.

Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon’s purchase of Fairground—the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider—she’s on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction. 

Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all—she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground’s wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she’ll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.
“Castillo’s flinty satire of the tech industry [transforms] into a sultry romance novel. As we watch Girlie’s defenses melt, the book shows a woman slowly surrendering to human experiences that can’t be controlled.”
—The Atlantic
“Tender and cutting, engrossing and immediate—Elaine Castillo's Moderation is a moving meditation on connection, growth, and how, in a world that's constantly on the verge of ending, one way we move forward is cultivating our own. Castillo's prose is luminous and lucid, balancing humor and emotion with wicked aplomb. Castillo expertly stretches the possibilities of language; Moderation is infinite.”
—Bryan Washington, author of Family Meal

“With its unyielding density of sharply observed detail, high-resolution psychological drama, and driving narrative momentum, Moderation reminded me that the novel is still the best form of virtual reality we have.”
—Jenny Odell, New York Times bestselling author of Saving Time and How to Do Nothing

“Moderation is a novel that refuses to do things by halves. It is a piercing, laser-precise exploration of big tech and its imperialist intentions; it is a breathtakingly funny and complex portrait of immigrant communities in America; it is a highly charged, passionate and tender love story, willing to embrace myriad forms of love. A wonderful book.”
—Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time

“With this novel, her second after America Is Not the Heart (2018), Castillo raises the bar for writing about tech and virtual reality, family stories, and workplace romances. Castillo’s gorgeous prose infuses both the real world and the virtual reality landscapes with life. A brilliant novel with much to say about work, family, excess, identity, and love.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Castillo shifts seamlessly in scale and tone, from a wide-angled systems novel to a love story, and from barbed satire to staggering emotional depth. It’s a triumph.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sharp . . . compelling [and] slyly brilliant. While cleverly interrogating interactions, communication, and relationships, Castillo again proves to be an enviably erudite chronicler of (racist) history, power structures, identity politics, and socioeconomic inequities.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“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.”
—Shelf Awareness
© Elaine Castillo
Elaine Castillo, named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart, was a finalist for numerous prizes including the Elle Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, and the New York Public Library. View titles by Elaine Castillo

About

A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—​bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.

Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon’s purchase of Fairground—the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider—she’s on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction. 

Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all—she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground’s wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she’ll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.

Praise

“Castillo’s flinty satire of the tech industry [transforms] into a sultry romance novel. As we watch Girlie’s defenses melt, the book shows a woman slowly surrendering to human experiences that can’t be controlled.”
—The Atlantic
“Tender and cutting, engrossing and immediate—Elaine Castillo's Moderation is a moving meditation on connection, growth, and how, in a world that's constantly on the verge of ending, one way we move forward is cultivating our own. Castillo's prose is luminous and lucid, balancing humor and emotion with wicked aplomb. Castillo expertly stretches the possibilities of language; Moderation is infinite.”
—Bryan Washington, author of Family Meal

“With its unyielding density of sharply observed detail, high-resolution psychological drama, and driving narrative momentum, Moderation reminded me that the novel is still the best form of virtual reality we have.”
—Jenny Odell, New York Times bestselling author of Saving Time and How to Do Nothing

“Moderation is a novel that refuses to do things by halves. It is a piercing, laser-precise exploration of big tech and its imperialist intentions; it is a breathtakingly funny and complex portrait of immigrant communities in America; it is a highly charged, passionate and tender love story, willing to embrace myriad forms of love. A wonderful book.”
—Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time

“With this novel, her second after America Is Not the Heart (2018), Castillo raises the bar for writing about tech and virtual reality, family stories, and workplace romances. Castillo’s gorgeous prose infuses both the real world and the virtual reality landscapes with life. A brilliant novel with much to say about work, family, excess, identity, and love.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Castillo shifts seamlessly in scale and tone, from a wide-angled systems novel to a love story, and from barbed satire to staggering emotional depth. It’s a triumph.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sharp . . . compelling [and] slyly brilliant. While cleverly interrogating interactions, communication, and relationships, Castillo again proves to be an enviably erudite chronicler of (racist) history, power structures, identity politics, and socioeconomic inequities.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“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.”
—Shelf Awareness

Author

© Elaine Castillo
Elaine Castillo, named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart, was a finalist for numerous prizes including the Elle Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, and the New York Public Library. View titles by Elaine Castillo

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