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ClareR (6241 KP) rated 84K in Books

Jun 27, 2018

84K

Claire North | 2018 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller

8.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Just take my money!

Claire North just seems to get better and better. It's getting to the point where I pick up one of her books and hand over my money, not even knowing what the book is about. I just know that it will be a really good book.
This is dystopian fiction, set in a very probable present/ near future. Everyone's life has a monetary value. Crimes are calculated and those who commit them can pay off their value. Those who can't afford to pay the fine, are sent to the 'pattie line'. Social media is king and The Company runs everything.
The main character, Theo, is a faceless, seemingly emotionless man, who runs in to an ex-girlfriend. He then has to admit to himself and to her that he isn't in fact Theo Miller in reality. It's a persona he has stolen from an old university friend who was killed in a 'duel gone wrong' so that he could get on in life (social class is still everything). His ex is murdered and Theo decides that he has the responsibility of trying to solve her murder and continuing with the task she had set herself before she was murdered. And in the process, he hopes to bring down The Company.
The language is disjointed and unsettling, which only adds to the feelings of distress and hopelessness in this dystopian future-present.
I loved it, and would happily turn back to the beginning and start all over again. I will say though, if you're looking for a light 'beach read' (I've never understood that term), this probably isn't it. If you're looking for something that will make you sit up and think, then this is the book for you!