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40x40

ClareR (5721 KP) rated Double Blind in Books

Jul 28, 2023  
Double Blind
Double Blind
Edward St. Aubyn | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed Double Blind, not least because of Benedict Cumberbatch’s excellent narration on the audiobook!
There’s a lot packed in to this book: mental health, love, bravery, illness, fear, adoption, climate change, genetics, inheritance and technology (there might be more, but this is off the top of my head!). These are all pretty meaty themes, but I think they were all addressed with sensitivity, and nothing seemed contrived - even though one of the characters was ridiculously rich!
There’s a fair bit of internal dialogue going on, but it’s all relevant to the story itself, and I feel it was easier to listen to than it might have been to read. In fact, this book seemed to go by really quickly - I thoroughly enjoyed it, and listened to it whenever I could.
The characters were all very likeable: Lucy has a brain tumour, and after the initial shock she takes the news very well. She works for an American called Hunter Sterling, a tycoon and hedonist. He takes a lot of drugs.
Francis is a conservationist on an estate, and he meets Olivia, a biologist. Her father is a psychoanalyst who works with schizophrenics (amongst others), in particular a man called Sebastian. His deeper connections emerge in the story.
All of these people and themes are woven into a beautifully written book. I loved it, and it looks as though I have another authors backlist to investigate!
  
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ClareR (5721 KP) rated Future Imperfect in Books

Dec 4, 2023  
Future Imperfect
Future Imperfect
Babette Gallard | 2023 | Contemporary, Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Future Imperfect is a terrifyingly plausible version of the future. Climate Change has caused displacement of people across the globe, and everyone is either trying to get home to their own countries, or trying to get to a relatively safe country. The UK is taking a hard line, and those who immigrated to Britain up to two or even three generations before, are being sent back to their ‘country of origin’ - a country that for many is an unknown.

In this atmosphere, Helen and Isha are attempting to return to the UK when their home in Arles is flooded, but as Isha is deemed to be Ugandan (her grandparents came from Uganda as refugees) only Helen can enter. Which for them is unacceptable. So Helen decides she must stay with Isha, and the two of them decide to make for Switzerland and an old friends mountain chalet.

But this is a world where everyone is constantly monitored, and as the weather and climate worsen, so do the actions of the French and Swiss governments. To be caught is to potentially be killed.

Jana, Helen and Isha’s adopted daughter, decides to follow her parents. Unlike them, she is permitted to be in France, so her journey, whilst difficult with her small daughter, is much easier.

AI is needed for every aspect of life in this world, and it’s the ideal way to track those who really don’t want to be tracked. Everything needs to be paid for using this method as well. Fortunately, Helen and Isha meet a terrorist organisation who agree to help them. They’re not the only ones to help the women. It just goes to prove that there are good people everywhere in times of need, they just need to be brave enough to step forward.

There’s a lot to think about in this story and a lot of what happens is already happening to a lesser degree (so far!): floods, fires, famine. The future this novel paints is not a good one.

Oddly, I really enjoyed this, as I do with all of these imperfect future novels. There were parts in the story where I didn’t really want to read on, because I didn’t want bad things to happen to these good people, but I’m so glad I did.
Read with The Pigeonhole.