I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

It is difficult to really put a label on this book. Yes, it is a dystopian novel set sometime in the future, but it is also a story of compassion, fortitude, love and hope. In the beginning the reader is introduced to Rainy and his wife, Lark, who live near the shore of Lake Superior. Rainy plays the bass guitar in a small band and Rainy is the owner of a bookstore. They often rent out a small part of their home to travelers or those who are trying to flee from the wealthy who are increasingly making life more difficult for the laborers. The latest boarder is a young man, Kellan. Kellan warns Rainy that a many named Werryck is evil and that he should run when he arrives. It is a bit mysterious warning, but one that sets the tone for the novel

As the plot moves forward, after her birthday party, Lark is murdered, their house ransacked and Rainy is beside himself with grief. He realizes that among the crowd, Werryck was the old man who was asking him questions. He flees the town on his small boat, Flower, just in the nick of time. He believes that he can track down Lark and so he sets off on Lake Superior with its rough seas and dangers to find her. It is and Orpeheus and Eurydice like adventure for sure. 

 Along the way as he docks in various towns, he meets strangers willing to help him and some who are down-right mean spirited. He finds Sol, a girl trying to escape her nasty uncle, King Richard, hiding in the boat as he leaves the dock. He protects her and they sail together trying to make it to Canada. After a storm they find their small boat shipwrecked next to Werryck's large cruiser - a medicine ship. Rainy spends many nights in a cell with little to eat or drink, but remains hopeful that he will persevere. 

I Cheerfully Refuse touches on so many of the issues of the world in which we live: climate change, the rule by the wealthy who pay no attention to civil liberty, medical inequalities where the poor are not treated,  It was a bleak time and many of the citizens turned to Willow, a drug that induced a peaceful suicide as they tried to get to a "better" place. The writing is eloquent and descriptive. Rainy is a strong narrator and the reader witnesses his desperation and hope as he seeks to find Lark and a community for himself. 

Enger was a soft-spoken speaker who gave pertinent background to the novel as he related its development during the pandemic and the life experiences that contributed to the plot of the novel.

Leif Enger - 7 April 2025

Leif Enger - 7 April 2025

Leif Enger - 7 April 2025

 

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Winner of the 2023 Man Booker Prize, Prophet Song is a dystopian novel set in Dublin in an unspecified time period, but fairly contemporary with its mobile phone technology and vague references to the pandemic. Beginning with the introduction to a fairly typical family, the novel quickly takes the reader on a journey through upheaval and frenzy.

The Stack family consists of  father, Larry, a teacher and head of the teachers' union, Ellish, the mother and microbiologist, and their children, Mark, Molly, Bailey, and Ben. The National Alliance Party (NAP) has seized the government of the country and has virtually stripped its citizens of their liberties. Larry is arrested for his participation in union activities and has not further contact with his family. Ellish is convinced that he will at some point in the near future return home to his family. She works hard at trying to contact him, but to no avail. This leaves her as the head of the family and, as such, she does her best in keeping things as normal as possible for her children. As news of her husband's arrest becomes known, Ellish loses her job as well. 

With tensions at a breaking point, war eventually breaks out between the state and rebels. Mark is drafted by the army, but joins up with the rebel forces. With airstrikes and government checkpoints the Stack home is in the midst of the conflict. Her sister, Áine, reaches out and tries to convince her to leave Dublin, but she does not want to leave feeling that it will resolve and Larry and Mark will be found. When Bailey is wounded, Ellish begins to reconsider her choice. 

As most dystopian novels, Prophet Song is most disturbing. It is not hard to envision a political party coming to power that is intent on doing away with civil liberties, eg the tenets of Project 2025. This theme resonated for me as I read the book. As the government expands its power, the citizens lose power over their lives. It is not hard to comprehend this as we watch freedom and autonomy being stripped from many citizens today. 

A powerful read that is a cautionary tale of a spiral into darkness if a citizenry is complicit and silent. 
 

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Set in a future America, Celeste Ng's latest novel, Our Missing Hearts is disturbing, heartwarming, and realistically reflective of a time with which we can identify. Often described as a dystopian piece of literature, it is not as unbelievable at its publication date as The Handmaid's Tale or Fahrenheit 451 were. Instead, what occurs in the book is already happening in the United States.

Noah (Bird) Gardner, a 12 year-old mixed ethnic child,  lives with his father, Ethan, in Cambridge, MA. Ethan was a former professor who has now turned a library worker as to not draw attention to his home and his son. The library shelves are virtually empty because many of the books are considered dangerous to society. The books haven't been burned, but rather pulped and turned into toilet paper. Noah is befriended by librarians throughout the novel as they attempt to circumvent the ramifications of PACT. He questions why he witnesses Chinese people being accosted and abused.

 Noah's mother Margaret, a Chinese American has left the household because she published an innocent poem that became a rallying point for those who were opposing PACT - Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act that was set into place to guard against the influence of the Chinese. The act was put into place as a result of the Crisis that was describe in the novel:

"Some would blame speculation, or inflation, or a lack of consumer confidence—though what might have caused those would never be clear. In time, many would dredge up old lists of rivalries, searching for someone to blame; they would settle, in a few years, on China, that perilous perpetual yellow menace."

Noah becomes friends with a school friend, Sadie, whose has been taken from her family and been placed in a foster home. Under PACT if a parent is deemed to be subversive, a child can be removed to protect him or her from parental influence. She is determined to leave her foster parents to find her real parents. After Noah finds a note that he believes is from his mother, he leaves Cambridge for New York City on the same quest. He finds Domi, the Duchess, a friend of his mother and she becomes important in his journey. 

Margaret is not a person who stands by and accepts the government's position. Living under the radar she has a plan that will, hopefully, cause people to see how wrong PACT is. Her words will illuminate the lives of those who are so wounded. Stories need to be told. 

What resonates to the reader is the reality that many of the actions in the book. The Florida Parental Rights Act, a bill promoted and signed by Governor DeSantis in Florida is blatant censorship of texts and curriculum. After the pandemic, the hate crimes against Asians increased nearly 300% over the previous years. Much of that can be attributed to the president at the time referring to COVID-19 as the China flu. 

Our Missing Hearts is a powerful book, one that should be acknowledged as a cry to take heed of how our democracy is being threatened. It should be on everyone's To Be Read Shelf!

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood with a reread of The Handmaid's Tale

With some time created by sheltering at home, I picked up The Testaments finally to read. After about a chapter, I realized that since it had been eons since I had read The Handmaid's Tale, that I had better reread it. It is very enlightening to revisit an incredible book that was written in 1985. My first read was a result of a wonderful woman and mentor giving it to the members of a pastoral nominating committee for a church in our previous hometown. She insisted that, before we make a decision, that all read it. This was very difficult for some of the men on the committee, but since they respected her, the did it. Needless to say, it made for some heated conversation and debate over the roles women played in the world. The Handmaid's Tale (THT) is a dystopian novel that takes place in Gilead where the women are subjugated to men in a patriarchal society. The ending, "Historical Notes,"  leaves the reader in the air as to what really happened to the protagonist of the story, Offred. For many years, Atwood had been urged by her fans to write a sequel to the novel. She resisted for thirty-four until she wrote and published The Testaments. 

Set in Gilead fifteen years after The Handmaid's Tale, the novel is narrated by three females: Aunt Lydia, who was one of the most powerful and cruel of the Aunts from THT, Daisy, a young girl living in Canada, and Agnes, a child who has grown up in Gilead. Through their eyes the reader gains insight into the workings of Mayday, a resistance movement against Gilead, The Eyes, and the Pearl Sisters. Aunt Lydia hints at a movement to overthrow the Gilead regime as she writes her memoirs as the Arudua Hall holograph. 

Meanwhile, Daisy relates her story as a "witness" testimony. Her parents, Melanie and Neil, who we come to find out are adoptive parents, are killed in an explosion at their business. Daisy is taken in by Ada, who works for Mayday. She learns her true identity and is "returned" to Gilead and assumes the name Jade, a young woman, who will be trained to be an Aunt and critical to the coup that is being planned. 

Agnes has spent her life in Gilead, raised in an elite family, by her mother, Tabitha, and father Commander Kyle. After her mother dies, her father remarries Paula, the so epitome of the wicked step-mother. She is promised to be wed to a notorious Commander Judd, but convinces Aunt Lydia that this is not in her best interest to wed. 

The story that is told by these three narrators reveals more about the horrors of a society that has subjugated women to mere handmaids. However, the most frightening thought, as in THT, is that one sees it in our own society. Reading it, I sent many quotes to my daughter, who is an Atwood devotee and scholar. Have we not in thirty-five years grown to dispel so much of the prevailing Gilead philosophy? NO, we haven't!

We were custodians of an invaluable treasure that existed, unseen, inside us; we were precious flowers that had to be kept safely inside glass houses, or else we would be ambushed and our petals would be torn off and our treasure would be stolen and we would be ripped apart and trampled by the ravenous men who might lurk around any corner, out there in the wide sharp-edged sin-ridden world.

Women have more value than just their bodies and this indoctrination is merely a scare tactic.  

Would you like someone at our Calm and Balm clinic to consult?" Perhaps not just yet," he said. "Most likely it is imaginary, as so many of these female complaints prove to be."

How many women deal with this on a day-to-day basis? And this

It was always a cruelty to promise them equality...Simply by their nature they can never achieve it. We have already begun the merciful task of lowering their expectations.  

 Finally, as in The Handmaid's Tale, "The Thirteenth Symposium," sheds light on the fate of Gilead, Aunt Lydia, Offred, and the realization that the narrators of the historical documents are taken seriously. 
 
Atwood is a master of prose, thought, and insight into our society. She has written, what seemed to a fact thirty-four years ago and what we are seeing as a reality today - the sexual assault of women. Her writing is eloquent and elegant and The Testaments, as The Handmaid's Tale will be worth a reread in the not so distant future. WOW!!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

From the inside flap of Ship Breaker, "In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota–and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . ."

Winner of the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature, the novel opens as Nailer Lopez is scavenging in the shipwrecks off the coast of a post apocalyptic world characterized by greed and environmental disasters. He is part of the Crew that must meet quota of scrap copper and metal. Nailer hits the jackpot when he discovers a pocket of oil that could be his ticket out of life on Bright Sands Beach where he lives in a shanty with his abusive and drug-addicted father. But the Fates have a different plan and an horrendous hurricane strikes the area. During the course of the storm, a luxurious clipper ship is beached and Nailer and his friend come upon it. The find that it is filled with treasures that will surely provide a means out of their horrible existence. They will have the leverage to scavenge the wealth and store the food. But in the midst of the wreckage, they find a beautiful girl, "Swank Girl," who presents them with a real dilemma. Barely conscious, she convinces them she can lead them to more wealth when she will be rescued by those who will come looking for her. But then, Nailer and Pima won't be able to take the items from the ship. Add to this picture, Nailer's father who also finds the wreckage and is determined to stand in the way of his son's good fortune.

The journey to escape leads to places beyond the shore and to the city of Orleans. Pursued by half men, masters and patrons, Nailer has one thing on his mind to save himself and his friends. It is a dystopian society that is presented. At times it seems futuristic and at other times, very much in the past. There are technological advances and genetic engineering. Political statements are made. There is the tension of a great science fiction novel and the characters are well developed and dynamic. The ending leaves the reader with the notion that there will be at least one sequel and it will be anxiously awaited.

Young adults will love this book, the excitement, and discovering a world that could be. It comes on the heels of The Hunger Games trilogy and will be as exciting to teens as those books were. It was a good book, and if I really liked this genre, a great book. I am not sure if I was disappointed by the book itself or by the fact that the book has been so hyped.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, is an intense action adventure filled with violence, twists, politics, and propaganda.

“Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.” [Publisher's Summary]

It is especially hard to review this book without giving away most of the plot and characterization. I had a hard time warming up to this book. I loved The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but I liked Mockingjay.

There is still the tension carried over from the first two novels in the series between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. At times I was in the Gale camp, but really secretly hope that she and Peeta would overcome immense obstacles and become the couple. One thing is for certain, Mockingjay speaks loudly and clearly against war. Kat is a pawn who will do the bidding of those controlling her. The role of the media and its part in creating or compromising reality is fascinating and a reminder to us to look through and beyond what we see and hear bombarding us on television, radio and the Internet.

As in many series, we can expect characters whom we love to die. Mockingjay was not dead and that he would come back to the story. Toward the end of the book, I wasn't sure that I could root for was no exception. I wasn't surprised at these deaths, but they hurt just the same. I did want to believe that CinnaKatniss unequivocally. I was stunned at some of her thoughts and actions. I do think Collins tried to tidy up the ending much too quickly or had prolonged the rebellion too much that the ending seemed hurried. Upon finishing the book, I really didn't know what to think. However, after some pondering, I can understand the reasoning behind her words.

War and its ramifications are despicable. What is real? This trilogy will allow you some insight and definitely a worthwhile read. .

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Too often a sequel to a very popular book is merely a retelling of the first book. There are notable exceptions like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and most definitely the The Hunger Games trilogy. Collins continues the saga of KatnissEverdeen in Catching Fire and it is every bit a compelling read as the previous book.
Home after the Hunger Games, Kat and Peeta have returned home to District 12, richer for their winnings. Kat is determined that Gale and his family will not do without and so she has taken it upon her self to provide for them. But life will never be the same for the two champions. Kat's rebellious act at the end of The Hunger Games has sparked uprisings in a number of the districts and so President Snow comes to visit. He is adamant that she needs to squash the rebellions and the victory tour will see to this. Readers know that Kat will not give up her defiant spirit and speaks accordingly.
In a strange twist of events precipitated by the uprisings and Panem's desire to put Kat in her place the Quarterly Quell is announced. It will send all living victors of The Hunger Games back to the arena. Kat and Peeta will compete again as affianced lovers. Kat has one goal - to protect Peeta at any cost.
To reveal anything else about this book would destroy the plot's twists, turns, and eventual resolution. Suffice it to say, it is a page-turner, although I thought some of the time spent in the arena was a bit prolonged. Maybe it was because I was being impatient and wanting to get to the end. I anxiously await reading, when I can get my hands on a copy, the last in the trilogy - Mockingjay. Collins has hit the mark with this series for those who aren't taken by the plethora of vampire books on the market.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I had been wanting to read The Hunger Games since it came out, but had not found it in in any library. I can understand why. To assign it to a genre is not easy. At times it is and adventure, a romance, science fiction and above all, dystopian.

Set in Panem, formerly North America, Collins tells a story of how far reality shows can go. Every year, twenty-four young people, a girl and boy from each of the twelve districts is sent to the Capitol to participate in a fight to the death. Only one will survive the ordeal that is not only televised throughout the country, but is mandatory viewing.

Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen-year-old who lives with her mother and younger sister, Prim(rose) in District Twelve, the Seam, in what appears to be like Appalachia with its dependence on the coal mines for economic survival. "Catnip" as she is called by Gale, an older boy on whom she has a crush, is a savvy hunter and knowledgeable about the woods and survival. On the day of the Reaping when the tributes to the Hunger Games are chosen by lot, it is Prim's name that is called first. Realizing that her sister would never survive the games, Katniss immediately volunteers in her place. She is joined by Peeta, the son of the town baker as the two representatives who will be sent to their sure death in the Capital.

The journey begins as the two travel to the Capitol by train with their mentors HaymitchCinna and Portia. It is up to the stylists to prepare them in an attractive way so that they may be worthy of sponsor money. In an elaborate ceremony all the contestants are presented to the public. It is then that Peeta declares that he has been in love with Katniss since they were five. It was a twist that she never expected, but one that she could exploit as she prepared her survival plan. The next day they would find themselves in the fight of their lives in the "arena," an expansive area of jungles, desserts, lakes, rivers, and wild animals where the Gamemakers control all aspects of the environment.

The novel is incredibly exciting and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning page after page. I loved the character of Katniss. She is empathetic, clever, and resourceful. We root for her and Peeta, but realize there can be only one winner and they are the two underdogs to the stronger players like Thresh, Cato, and Foxface.

There are familiar elements here. The scenario of the games reminded of the tributes that the ancient Athenians sent every year to Crete to battle the Minotaur. Katniss and Peeta appear as star-crossed lovers at the mercy of others around them even as Romeo and Juliet did. It was a grand read and I anxio Abernathy and Effie Trinket, two eccentric personalities. Once at their destination they are escorted to their rooms and meet their stylists, usly await the time when I can get my hands on Catching Fire, the second part of the trilogy.