Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Rachel Heng for the opportunity to read and review this amazing debut novel - I loved it!
Imagine a world in the maybe not so distant future, where technology and science have made it possible to live hundreds of years. A world where you are assessed at birth and put into a category of either a "sub-100" or a "lifer." If you are a sub-100, meaning you will not live to 100, you are relegated to a sub-class of people, not eligible for all of the parts replacements and rejuvenation treatments. But if you are a lifer, you can expect to live for hundreds of years, looking completely youthful. You see Treaters to assess how everything you do affects your body and life expectancy; you've learned that running is harmful so you stop; you eat Nutri-paks and not trad (traditional) foods. You are watched constantly, evaluated, turned in for simple acts. For the select group, the Third Wave, offers the possibility of immortality.
But what happens when your body finally gives out but some parts keep on going - like a mechanical heart that won't stop? What happens if you don't want to live this way? Enter the Suicide Club - a rebel group that finds a way to die under their control and decisions.
This book is told in alternating chapters between Lea, a Lifer, whose one simple act sets up her downfall, and Anja, another Lifer, whose mother is basically dead besides her continually beating mechanical heart.
This was a powerful debut - frightening because with a little leap of the imagination, you can see this future world happening. Our Fitbits that nudge us to move are just like the reminders sent to the Lifers to stretch every hour. The juices, cleanses, the surgeries to keep ahead of the aging process contrasted with the Assisted Suicide laws.
Highly recommended - there would be SO much to discuss in a book club. Can't wait to read more from this author.
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