Title: The Future
Author: Naomi Alderman
Source: DRC via NetGalley (Simon and Schuster) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Why did I choose to read this book?

Honestly I almost didn’t request this book. I haven’t been granted a lot of advance copies from Simon and Schuster so I’ve been programmed to just kind of pass them by even if I’m really interested. The description on this book was too good to pass up though. Lesbians escaping cults and assassins, taking down billionaires, averting and/or surviving the end of the world? You son of a bitch, I’m in!

What is this book about?

This book is about saving the world from billionaires. Period. There’s other stuff going on, like how Martha (the assistant to one of the billionaires) escaped a cult run by her father and how that informs her later actions, or how Lien had to survive a refugee camp because they missed a paperwork deadline due to her mom’s cancer. Overall, it’s people who have seen/survived some shit who have found their way into influential positions and want to make the world a better place through whatever means necessary.

What is notable about this story?

If you look at the book cover you’ll see two animals: a fox and a rabbit. The story of Fox and Rabbit is a story that Martha’s father Enoch would tell the members of his cult. It’s meant to mirror the fables throughout history that pit farmers vs. hunters, nesters vs. nomads, people who stay put and people that never stop moving. Control freaks versus adrenaline junkies (if taken to the extreme). It was interesting to see this theme continue to surface throughout the book, and the different ways it was addressed made me consider which is better, which I would consider myself to be, and whether it’s possible to switch back and forth between the two identities.

There are also some Biblical references as Martha and her compatriots decide what to do about saving the planet. They reference the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah and constantly have discussions about how many good people would make someplace worth saving. They also discuss the opposite of this, which is what is the minimum number of people you would be willing to sacrifice to try to save a place. One person? Two? How many people would need to be removed from the game board to make the game winnable?

The overlapping of the Enoch fable and the Bible story made this a very pensive read. I feel like I came out on the other side of this one more thoughtful and introspective than when I started.

Was anything not so great?

The ending felt a little sudden and anticlimactic. The book is going 100mph at a volume of 10 and then suddenly…it’s over? It felt a little like falling off a cliff that turns out to be a 1 foot drop.

Totally worth it though. Small quibble.

What’s the verdict?

Four stars on Goodreads and you probably want to preorder this one to read right away. It’s a fast read that won’t let you go even after the end – you’ll be thinking about this book for a while! Go get it!

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