A review by lillist
The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
5.0
"The Ten Percent Thief" by Lavanya Lakshminarayan is a mosaic novel set in a dystopian future where cities are run by companies and is told as a series of loosely interconnected stories. We witness the state and eventual fall of Apex city, formerly Bangalore and a consumerist heaven/hell, depending on who you ask. There you can be either living as part of the system as a "Virtual" citizen or - if you fail or refuse to be part of the productivity machine - you live as an "Analog", in precarious existence without any of the conveniences and security of modern society (like running water, sufficient nutrition or a perspective for the future).
Using stories instead of one narrative is a bold and confident approach that really relies on inspired and strong writing, and wow, does Lavanya Lakshminarayan deliver! The way she wields words, phrases and ideas is a joy to behold and I just enjoyed the ride. Not only does she have a way with words, her observations reveal razor-sharp insight into the pitfalls of our current society. The way our consumerist society, aided by social media, not only shapes, but also creates a world with a constant need to for self-optimization in order to consume even more.
The stories are told from the perspectives of Analogs as well as Virtuals and paint a rich and detailed picture of a society that is so clearly destined to fail as it veers more and more away from what humans actually need to thrive and becomes a victim of its own hype. There is a dark and twisted humour ever present that does a great job of pointing the finger just where it hurts.
I also noticed that music in all its different forms is a recurrent theme that follows several of the narrative strings and I had a strong impression that the author has a close connection to music herself.
My favourite story must be Analog/Virtual with its hysterically funny depiction of a woman who has to do her own, actual grocery shopping - an activity mostly unheard of for Virtual citizens. Living through that experience with her is just a bit of incredible writing and I felt like I wanted to highlight every other sentence.
I am so very happy to have picked this up and will keep an eye out for whatever Lavanya Lakshminarayan puts out next. (Honestly, I find it hard to believe that this is a debut!)
I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
Using stories instead of one narrative is a bold and confident approach that really relies on inspired and strong writing, and wow, does Lavanya Lakshminarayan deliver! The way she wields words, phrases and ideas is a joy to behold and I just enjoyed the ride. Not only does she have a way with words, her observations reveal razor-sharp insight into the pitfalls of our current society. The way our consumerist society, aided by social media, not only shapes, but also creates a world with a constant need to for self-optimization in order to consume even more.
The stories are told from the perspectives of Analogs as well as Virtuals and paint a rich and detailed picture of a society that is so clearly destined to fail as it veers more and more away from what humans actually need to thrive and becomes a victim of its own hype. There is a dark and twisted humour ever present that does a great job of pointing the finger just where it hurts.
I also noticed that music in all its different forms is a recurrent theme that follows several of the narrative strings and I had a strong impression that the author has a close connection to music herself.
My favourite story must be Analog/Virtual with its hysterically funny depiction of a woman who has to do her own, actual grocery shopping - an activity mostly unheard of for Virtual citizens. Living through that experience with her is just a bit of incredible writing and I felt like I wanted to highlight every other sentence.
I am so very happy to have picked this up and will keep an eye out for whatever Lavanya Lakshminarayan puts out next. (Honestly, I find it hard to believe that this is a debut!)
I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!