Dystopian society

Apr 18

Do you prefer the glossiness of The Capital or the grittiness of District 12?

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic books that take place just after the apocalypse. Or I’ve been reading some books that show the apocalypse and the destruction that follows. These books are gritty and set in a world with very little hope. In reading these books, I’ve realized that I’m more of the glossy, everything appears good on the outside but is really gritty and dark and horrible on the inside kind of girl.

For me, there is something more intriguing about seeing the hidden underbelly of a society. When everything has fallen apart and there is corruption and limited resources and fighting, there is no surprise. You expect things to get bad and then the hero just has to rise above the bad. But when a character lives in a world that seems safe and easy, it seems like the struggle is more difficult. They have to give up the seemingly perfect world to fight for what is right. To me, this must seem like a bigger battle and a more interesting character.

I think a lot of why I find the shiny, glossy, pretty dystopians to be more interesting is because I can better relate to them. Our world we live in is, more of less, shiny and pretty, but there is a dark underbelly if you know where to look. I, for one, would be hard pressed to give up the security of my life, so I can relate to a hero’s struggle when they come from that type of world.

What do you think? Do you prefer a certain type of dystopia?

Mar 11

XVI, by Julia Karr

Rating: 5 out of 5

(summary from GoodReads) Nina Oberon’s life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she’ll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a “sex-teen” is Nina’s worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina’s mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother’s killer.

Let me start by saying that I LOVED this book. I loved it so much I couldn’t put it down. That’s right. Instead of enjoying the comfortable, fully reclinable, first class seat I got upgraded to on my flight to Rome, I taped my eyelids open and devoured this book. And I didn’t even care that this meant I would have nothing else to read the entire trip or that I would start my trip half-asleep. Nothing mattered except finishing the book and finding out what was going to happen.

Karr has created a dystopian society that seems completely plausible. While some of the elements in Suzanne Collins’ world from the Hunger Games trilogy seemed a bit far-fetched, the sci-fi, futuristic, dystopian elements of Karr’s world seemed very likely. Children had tracking devices installed in them at birth; listening devices were used to hear conversations; society was split into tiers; and women were treated as goods, something that has never fully left our society and could very easily come back.

As a book for teens, I applaud Karr’s courage. Sex in YA books is controversial, especially when the main subject of the book is sex. But the way Karr explores this theme is thoughtful. She does not come out and say teenagers should be sexually active. In fact, Nina is horrified at the thought and the characters who are past 16 but have chosen abstinence are applauded. Karr seems to be encouraging more the necessity in thinking through your actions, rather than chiding or encouraging sexual behavior, an important lesson for teens.

Of course, the book is not just about sex. It is full of mystery, corruption, romance, and suspense. Karr creates captivating characters, including Sandy, Nina’s ignorant, but lovable, best friend. The reader cares for the characters and wants to see them come out on top, an element that is almost always necessary for a successful book. And when coupled with her impeccable world building, this really is a must read.

If you are overly sensitive to discussions of sex, this may not be the best book for you, but I challenge you to give it a shot anyway. And if you are not overly sensitive to sex in books, definitely give this a read. You won’t regret it.

P.S. This is a great crossover book too, meaning adults should not be ashamed to get caught reading it.

Feb 18

Matched, by Ally Condie

Rating: 5 out of 5

Cassia lives in a world where Society makes all of her decisions: what to eat, what to study, what career to undertake, and, most importantly, who to marry. And Cassia is fine with this. She believes in Society’s decisions, and so when Xander’s face appears at her Matching Ceremony, Cassia accepts that he is her best option for a future mate. Until Ky’s face appears on her chip. Although she is told that it was merely a glitch, that Xander is still her match, Cassia cannot stop thinking about Ky and wondering ‘what if?’. As she questions her Match, Cassia also starts to question Society as a whole and for the first time in her life, she wonders whether Society has a right to control her life.

For starters, the cover is amazing. And once you’ve read this book, you will see how appropriate it is too. If there is any book you are going to judge by it’s cover, let it be this one. Whoever designed this cover, I want them to design the cover for my future books. But moving on to the actual story.

At the beginning of the book, I was reminded of DuPrau’s City of Ember. Cassia’s world is ordered in a similar way to Ember. The citizens are told what to do and they do it. The only difference is that in Cassia’s world, the decisions are made by mathematical equations and super computers. Probabilities determine the best course of action.

As the book progressed, it diverged from City of Ember. Matched is intended for an older audience. The characters and their conflicts are more mature. The consequences more dyer.

Condie does an excellent job creating this new world. The tension and the need to conform to the rules set forth by society drip from the pages. I could clearly see the world; I felt anxiety for the characters, about the decisions they were making, and the ones they were not making.

In addition to the world creation, I also enjoyed the character development. Most characters, even secondary characters, grew as the book progressed. This helped to create a dynamic story. So often in books only 1 or 2 characters show real growth, but I could see the change in many characters as the hold of Society began to slip, as more people began to question the role of Society.

The interactions between the characters was also very well done. There were back stories and different levels of tension, and everything was revealed slowly, adding to the reality of this world and these characters.

All in all, I thought this was a wonderful book and I cannot wait for the sequel.

What’s your dystopian style?

Book Review Friday – XVI

Book Review Friday: Matched