In The Third Person by Luke Stoffel, after renting out his New York apartment following a job loss, a man—referred to only as “he” and “the boy”—leaves the United States and begins a period of continuous travel through Asia. Alongside his actions operates a system that records his behavior as it occurs, interpreting each choice within a developing behavioral model. The system tracks how he responds when his plans fail, when logistics collapse, and when motion becomes the default response to uncertainty. As his travel continues, the system’s records begin to influence how events are framed, shifting observation into interpretation. What begins as background monitoring develops into an active lens through which his experience is processed and redefined. Together, we are in the mind of both the boy and the machine, in a parallel progression that raises questions about authorship, agency, and what remains unrecorded when a life is rendered as data.

Luke Stoffel’s The Third Person took me a few beats to get the hang of it. We get two sides of the same coin, but Stoffel does an excellent job of splitting the narratives of the boy, who isn't really a boy, and the machine. Once I was fully on board, I was immersed in a speculative journey that reads like a travelogue with a machine quietly taking notes from the next seat over. The title refers to that watching position, cleverly naming the system that records him, and also naming the stance he slips into later, where his own choices feel observed before they are felt. I loved the armchair tour of places like Hanoi and Pattaya, and the walks that are so calming that they transcend the pages. I swear that the unfinished Sanctuary of Truth just made the top five on my bucket list. Overall, this is a worthy sequel in The Warboy Chronicles. Readers who enjoy speculative writing shaped by travel, systems, and uneasy self-awareness will find this a striking read. Very highly recommended.

The Third Person: Rewriting Him (The Warboy Chronicles) is about heartache, loneliness, and the healing process. Author Luke Stoffel shares his story in this tell-all memoir/travelogue. Narrated in the third person, the book follows Luke as he deals with a devastating breakup with Warboy. When Warboy inexplicably leaves him, Luke's life threatens to spiral out of control. He goes home to Iowa for Christmas, living on unemployment for months, until he finally finds the motivation to take a trip to Asia after five long years. He spends a chunk of his time traveling all over Vietnam and Thailand. While he is in Vietnam, Luke stumbles upon some good news when he learns about his book's success back home. After some time in Asia, Luke returns to New York.

The Third Person is a heartfelt memoir that perfectly demonstrates how people in the modern era turn toward AI to find solace amid loneliness and anxiety. Author Luke Stoffel gives a moving account of his life, sharing its ups and downs through humor, heart, and charm. Luke's story will resonate with anyone who has ever gone through a messy breakup. The book is written in an experimental narrative style that features reflective and introspective questions with AI between chapters. I think using the third person to write a memoir was a very unconventional choice, yet the way the author presents his story suits the narrative. All in all, I found the book both captivating and inspiring. If you enjoy LGBTQ narratives, memoirs, or travelogues, I heartily recommend this book.