crabbygirl reviewed Wall: A Novel by John Lanchester
Review of 'Wall' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
a dystopian near-future that is directly linked to an actual crisis: climate change. the seas have risen; the refugees want in. But a wall holds the hoards back, and the young adults of the country are mandated to serve 2 years as defenders on that wall.
i'm surprised this wasn't classified as YA; the young characters disdain the older generations, parent and politician alike. the moral superiority of the 'Others' seems based on their current victimhood as virtual slaves (unpaid help) or innocent would-be refugees (attackers). But we never actually meet an organized group of 'Others' trying to overcome the wall to explain their desire to get in. we do meet an isolated family (good) and a group of pirates (bad) that live on the sea, but nothing that explains the targeted and well-planned attacks... There is a lot of so-called civility built into this society that could have been …
a dystopian near-future that is directly linked to an actual crisis: climate change. the seas have risen; the refugees want in. But a wall holds the hoards back, and the young adults of the country are mandated to serve 2 years as defenders on that wall.
i'm surprised this wasn't classified as YA; the young characters disdain the older generations, parent and politician alike. the moral superiority of the 'Others' seems based on their current victimhood as virtual slaves (unpaid help) or innocent would-be refugees (attackers). But we never actually meet an organized group of 'Others' trying to overcome the wall to explain their desire to get in. we do meet an isolated family (good) and a group of pirates (bad) that live on the sea, but nothing that explains the targeted and well-planned attacks... There is a lot of so-called civility built into this society that could have been noted and dissected, like their policies and punishments that avoid directly putting people to death: apprehended refugees can choose to be euthanized or live as 'Help', failed defenders are put to sea (with ample supplies and solemn handshakes), and procreating is an immediate release from service which begs the question: why isn't everybody choosing THAT?