Publisher: Upbound Solutions

Publication Date: September 8, 2022

Length: 341 pages

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

This book was a constant surprise to me. My GoodReads review couldn’t even explain everything this book encompasses. The story takes place in 2048 in Canada. What a crazy society! Could we end up here? Toronto, newTor, has been transforming into a society that follows a proposal described in a Master’s paper. Many items we use daily have been removed. People live, work, and socialize only in their neighborhood determined by an algorithm. This urban change is accomplished city by city with each having the option of not adopting the new society. Many people are leaving newTor, frustrated by the lifestyle that is supposed to be better for them.

A young man, Otto, is raised in the wilderness. His father, Ken, found him abandoned upon the doorstep of his cabin. Ken has raised Otto to live off the land, depending only upon himself. Otto dreams of the Doyenne of family Values. He is eighteen and wants to know about his parentage. Ken knows that if Otto travels to newTor, Otto will find the answers he seeks. The journey is not easy and Ken is hesitant to make the trip. To meet the woman in Otto’s dreams and find out about his parents, he must travel to a highly protected and regulated area. Will he get his answers?

This is a very complex story. Early in the book, there is an explanation of the concept of family Values. It is necessary to read and understand the concept to follow the story. The new terms and concepts can be overwhelming at times. I would like to have a dictionary to define these terms in the appendix of the book. This would simplify reading. I felt that the characters need to be more developed, their behaviors are difficult to understand. Very little emotion is expressed by any character. With such massive life changes, it is hard to imagine everyone simply stepping into the new life without sadness or regret. One amusing item is that Canada is the test site for the new idea since the USA is always fighting itself and is deemed incapable of using complicated concepts. This has a similar feeling to The Handmaid’s Tale or other futuristic societal upheaval stories with a newly created alternate society. Are we headed toward such drastic changes?

As I stated at the beginning, this is a complex story. It is very thought-provoking and will have you examining life today and how life is portrayed in this story. These changes could happen. Is this new society something you would embrace? This chilling portrayal of an alternative society will have you reexamining our society and priorities, perhaps keeping you up at night. Not horror but the changes can feel horrific!

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5