Demanding, unsettling, and deeply rewarding.
French author Dabos’ first dystopian novel trades the baroque, fractured worlds of the Mirror Visitor quartet for a society that’s terrifying in its coherence.
On a supercontinent governed by Instincts—biological compulsions that determine vocation, social value, even morality—citizens are raised from childhood to surrender themselves to the collective We. But as students across the Sectors disappear and buried contradictions surface, Saints and social outcasts alike are drawn toward revelations capable of shattering the entire system. Martha, a repairer unnerved by the involuntary pleasure of obedience; Goliath, a protector hungry for glory who’s desperate for sanctification before reaching adulthood; and Claire, a confidant whose existence threatens the system’s foundations, all become threads in a sprawling narrative about labor, autonomy, sacrifice, and the frightening seduction of certainty. Dabos’ writing remains unapologetically and enthrallingly complex: She layers philosophical speculation, institutional satire, conspiracy, and deeply embodied character work into a dystopia that grows stranger and more destabilizing the deeper readers follow it. Yet the novel never collapses beneath the weight of its own intricacy. Instead, Dabos and translator Serle thrust readers into the middle of an ever-evolving web of sharply observed routines and mounting emotional fractures, ensnaring them in a fragmented momentum immersive enough to feel simultaneously absurd and disconcertingly familiar. The text brings contradictions to bear, resisting the ease of moral binaries and trusting readers with questions about individuality, collectivism, purpose, and belonging that linger long after the final page.
Demanding, unsettling, and deeply rewarding. (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9798889662044
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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