Sometimes it's better to not read a single review of a book, or any synopsis of it before you decide to dive in. Sometimes, when you see flurries of excitement of a book on Twitter and Instagram, you should just pick it up immediately. And then when an old college buddy recommends the audio, you just go ahead and stop procrastinating.
Here's one thing that I feel is fairly consistent with every review I've seen since I finished the book: you can't really give anything away. It wouldn't be fair to write about one piece, one thing that makes this story so very, very unique from all the other ones that have come out. You don't want to spoil it one bit. Instead, you have to just say that it's about a little girl named Melanie who is very, very smart and she goes to school every single day and loves to learn about the world and her favorite teacher is Miss Justineau. And then you throw in the part that there is also a man in the military who picks Melanie up from her cell every morning, who very meticulously straps her into a chair, following a process so specific as to keep him far from her, who then takes her to a classroom filled with other children similarly held down in their chairs. You should probably also add that there is a very ambitious doctor, a completely disturbing sociopath who evaluates them, one by one.
And then you just have to write that the story is engaging, absolutely perfect for those who like extremely smart and uniquely driven characters, who enjoy twists that are unexpected and who fancy a tale of a young girl who is smarter than your smartest human out there.
This is an adventure told by an author with an imagination who has taken our current culture of a dystopian society and placed an excellent spin to it, and is voiced through narration in the audiobook by Finty Williams, who is just powerful and PERFECT for every role. From Melanie to Miss Justineau to Gallagher to the Sergeant, this audio is one of my favorites this year, no doubt about it.
Click here to listen to a sample from Audible.com.
FTC Disclosure: I downloaded this book through my membership with Audible.com
About the Author
M.R. Carey is an author of comics, novels, and films, according to Wikipedia. I couldn't track down a website for him, but it seems he's fairly active on Twitter.
Visit him:
- On Twitter
Oh my gosh, that sounds creepy!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the audio too!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by-this book sounds a little creepy. You do have me curious.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those books I managed to grab an e-galley of, but of course I never got 'round to reading it. Booooo! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and it's going back on my radar.
ReplyDeleteI'd quite like to read some more dystopian fiction after Emily St John's fantastic Station Eleven which I read earlier this year. Will check this out, thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of the audio book already loaded onto my computer. I love the fact you've kept the mystery around this book, but still managed to let me know how good it is. I'll add it to the top of my virtual audio pile :-)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds disturbing and thanks for getting my interest while not giving anything away about the plot. I did read Dog Stars (loved it) and Station Eleven, so this is another dark book I might try.
ReplyDeleteYou are SO right about writing about this book without giving too much away! I read it in print, but I can see how it would work really well on audio with the right narration. Glad it worked for you!
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm I don't know how I feel but I do love when a review doesn't say much.
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