I received this book from the publisher to review.

The world is a mess. Turmoil is the daily status of our world. Where do all of these problems come from? Have we created the mess we are in? In Anthem, Noah Hawley looks at the world, our problems, and whether we can survive this mess or not. In the opening chapters, we are introduced to several families and their children. Each family is dealing with ordinary life and trying to manage. In each family, the children will soon find themselves dealing with more than they could have imagined. Will they be able to cope and survive or will it be too much for them? Anthem is post pandemic, apocalyptical, catastrophic fiction.

A daughter commits suicide. She is traumatized by the opioid crisis. She isn’t an addict – her father runs the company responsible for most of the opioid production. Her statement of disapproval to the family is to kill herself in her parent’s bathroom after papering the room in packets of oxycodone. She ties herself into a chair in the center of the room and overdoses. She is found by her younger brother, Simon. Of course, this affects Simon who is shipped off to the nearest treatment center for the children of the wealthy. At this facility Simon encounters other young people that have been labelled as damaged and sent away. Simon befriends two fellow patients at the center. Simon and his friends Louise and The Prophet begin planning to escape. The Prophet claims to be in direct contact with God and is His messenger. The message from God is that they need to find Bathsheba, she needs to be rescued. After getting help from ones of the security guards, they escape. Who is Bathsheba and why is she in trouble? Does this kid really get messages from God?

Besides the problem with opioids, another crisis begins, rapidly sweeping the country as young people are committing suicide in large numbers with no discernible cause. A troubling sign is found near each suicide – A11. The young people do not give any indication that they are suicidal. What does A11 mean?

Anthem is complex. There are many characters and many storylines. It can get complicated keeping track of all of the action. The disintegration of our society is troubling. We spend most of our time feeling secure in the knowledge that tomorrow will look much like today. When the bad events outweigh the good ones, is the end near? Anthem shows one future where life begins to look bleak but in the midst of all the chaos, we will find hope.

Matthew Hawley’s Anthem is provocative but could trigger people with depression, suicidal tendencies, or anxiety. It is a deep dive into some of our fears and frustrations with life.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5

Additional Thoughts: This book is unusual. The suicides and downward spiral of society make it tough to review. This isn’t a universally appealing story. There are several points where events are stopped and the author voices his opinion or concerns. A technique frequently used by Vonnegut, I was frustrated by them. When you are focusing so carefully on characters, the abrupt stop can work either as a mental break (which may be needed) or aggravation (why do I have to stop?). I hope that the events we see in this book continue to be only fiction and nothing more.