A review by chloesumner1317
Those That Wake by Jesse Karp
4.0
First, let me say that this book is a big spew of social commentary. So if you don't like social commentary books, this is definitely not for you.
The premise for the world in which the characters live in is that it is New York City after an incident called Big Black, which caused this 4 block section of the city to be destroyed and have a dome placed over it. Everyone lives on "cells" which does everything-calls, videochats, pays for food/drinks, orders for you, GPS unit, the whole shebang. Everyone is very isolated from each other and I always pictured the weather being very gray, though that may have had something to do with the cover.
The two main characters are Mal, a foster kid trying to find his brother Tommy in Brooklyn, and Laura, a suburban college-bound girl from Long Island whose parents just can't remember her one day. There is also a focus on Mike, an inner city teacher, and Dave Remak, a corporate analyst of the Global Dynamic.
This book is not light. You've got quite a bit of theory to chew on dispersed throughout the book. There was the enclosed space on infinite loop, the Global Dynamic, and other pieces which requires you to really think about how this world reflects upon our own.
That being said, the theory is really what is driving this story. Yes, Mal, Laura, Mike, Tommy, Annie, and all of the other characters have compelling back stories, but their main purpose is to deliver this author's view on the world: Hopelessness is catching-don't let it catch you.
I really did like it, but I eat up theory like this.
The premise for the world in which the characters live in is that it is New York City after an incident called Big Black, which caused this 4 block section of the city to be destroyed and have a dome placed over it. Everyone lives on "cells" which does everything-calls, videochats, pays for food/drinks, orders for you, GPS unit, the whole shebang. Everyone is very isolated from each other and I always pictured the weather being very gray, though that may have had something to do with the cover.
The two main characters are Mal, a foster kid trying to find his brother Tommy in Brooklyn, and Laura, a suburban college-bound girl from Long Island whose parents just can't remember her one day. There is also a focus on Mike, an inner city teacher, and Dave Remak, a corporate analyst of the Global Dynamic.
This book is not light. You've got quite a bit of theory to chew on dispersed throughout the book. There was the enclosed space on infinite loop, the Global Dynamic, and other pieces which requires you to really think about how this world reflects upon our own.
That being said, the theory is really what is driving this story. Yes, Mal, Laura, Mike, Tommy, Annie, and all of the other characters have compelling back stories, but their main purpose is to deliver this author's view on the world: Hopelessness is catching-don't let it catch you.
I really did like it, but I eat up theory like this.