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A review by ihateprozac
The Test by Sylvain Neuvel
5.0
This was a short novel but it packs such a punch! Through the lens of a seemingly innocuous British citizenship test, it offers up food for thought on racism and racial profiling, immigration, homogeneity and assimilation, sexism and misogyny, fatphobia, selfishness and selflessness, diversity, and how we assign perceived value to people.
But of course it's not just a British citizenship test, as the novel soon descends into something far more chaotic, lingering at the intersection of science fiction and psychological thriller. The story explores the human psyche and the hundreds of environmental factors that cause someone to choose the red pill or blue pill when put in a traumatic situation. It also explores the after-effects of traumatic situations, and whether you can live with your choices afterwards.
If you've ever seen the film The Killing Room, you'll love this.
But of course it's not just a British citizenship test, as the novel soon descends into something far more chaotic, lingering at the intersection of science fiction and psychological thriller. The story explores the human psyche and the hundreds of environmental factors that cause someone to choose the red pill or blue pill when put in a traumatic situation. It also explores the after-effects of traumatic situations, and whether you can live with your choices afterwards.
If you've ever seen the film The Killing Room, you'll love this.