Dear Readers,
Today's book is a dystopian novel! This one sounds a bit more realistic than others I've read, so check it out! It's Pills and Starships by Lydia Millet. In fact, I was sucked in by this cover! Look:
Summary: "In this richly imagined dystopic future brought by global warming, seventeen-year-old Nat and her hacker brother Sam have come by ship to the Big Island of Hawaii for their parents' Final Week. The few Americans who still live well also live long—so long that older adults bow out not by natural means but by buying death contracts from the corporates who now run the disintegrating society by keeping the people happy through a constant diet of "pharma." Nat's family is spending their pharma-guided last week at a luxury resort complex called the Twilight Island Acropolis.
Deeply conflicted about her parents' decision, Nat spends her time keeping a record of everything her family does in the company-supplied diary that came in the hotel's care package..." (Thanks, Goodreads!)
This novel delve into what life would truly be like for a normal person in a dystopian world. Nat is an everyday teen that is coping with her parents' death, except it hasn't happened yet and there are pills to subdue those feelings. She doesn't want her parents to die, but is more passive, just writing her true feelings in a journal provided to her from the hotel to help her heal. However, her little brother is taking more of an active stance on their society in general. When Nat starts seeing society at work, she questions everything, and when she finds out what's really going on in the world, she has to choose to go along with everything or make a stand. You'll be able to relate to Nat and her brother a lot, and may start looking at our world now in a whole new light.
The plot is thorough, and there's plenty of humor. However, there are dark things as well (obviously). If you want to think, and you want to know what it truly would be like living in a realistic dystopian society, read this novel. See both the ruin and the hope for our future.
In Conclusion: If you don't mind it being a bit slow at parts, I do recommend reading this novel.
Rating:
4/5 pills
Till next time!!!
XOXO,
Lexi
Readers,
Why have I not written? I started a new job that it turns out I don't need, and that I'm allergic to (well, the cleaner they use). Starbucks. Yep. Yes, they started me a week early with long shifts on both Tuesday and Thursday. Thankfully I got today off, but my computer refused to work at my brother's school where I took him and waited for him. Oh, and no, I don't drink or like coffee at all, nor do I know a cappuccino v. an espresso, and I'll never get why people would want so much dang caramel in their drinks... However, the people rock, and I've already made some awesome friends. I just still suck at some drinks, but I rock the frappachinos!
Anywho, today's book was an interesting one. It's The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle.
Summary: "Growing up in privileged, Manhattan social circles, Caggie’s life should be perfect, and it almost was until the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she’s famous for something she didn’t do and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included. Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumours are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realises that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she’s ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life…and Caggie’s as well." (Thank you, Goodreads! You are amazing!)
Caggie has many secrets. She's the everygirl that's trying to hold everything together as a teen while everything is falling apart in her world. Her thinking is reminiscent of myself, and I say this because she can't see what's going on with herself. She thinks that she's standing tall and fooling everybody, but how far can she go with that without people finding out the truth(s)?
The story is complex, and you'll want to read it all the way through to get down to the bottom of everything. This story touched my heart, and I'll never forget the way Caggie's life has been portrayed, because it feels all too real. This also shows how many people grieve, and how everybody has their own way to do so. Also, it shows how families and people can be torn to pieces because they don't get eachother's grieving, and see it as ridiculous or nonexistent. This really is a great novel that is relatable whether you've lost somebody or not. It's one of the best fiction books -- without fantasy -- that I've read. I kept wanting to get through the novel, and noticed that, at the end, I was wrong in thinking the novel was tedious/bad. Just hold on during parts that seem boring, and read the book from beginning to end. I promise you won't regret it.
In Conclusion: Please read this one!
Rating:
4/5 skyscrapers
Till next time, Lovelies!!!
XOXO,
Lexi
