MISFIT

In this debut YA novel, some teens challenge their parents’ restrictive society with help from allies in the afterlife.

Fourteen-year-old Elle Byrd lives in Oakley village, on the outskirts of District 3. In two years, she’d like to apply to work at the Ministry of Science and Technology and escape her humdrum home life. She’s recently upset her parents, Faith and Zed, by ignoring curfew, missing classes at school, and showing disrespect. When the Ministry of Justice and Equality recommends a “home assessment,” Elle promises to do better and stop the appraisal from happening. Meanwhile, in District 2, 15-year-old River learns from his father, Dr. Goodman, that he’s been invited to join the Alliance. Families in the Alliance “protect and support each other” in a world where the Ministries have created earning caps that level the economic playing field between those with great earning potential and those without. The catch is that River must marry someone chosen by the Alliance—a dour girl named Vie. Back in District 3, the stress in Elle’s home escalates. One night, she hears someone whisper “Anastasia.” Could this be one of the Asura, deceased family members who were morally superior and “elevated” to a new realm and can now communicate with younger, living relatives? When the Asura voice offers Elle freedom and a chance to meet the brother she never knew, she readily accepts. She and her best friend, Raine Ash, sneak off to the nearby woods. Eventually, Elle and River cross paths and must decide on a new way forward in life that upholds both freedom and safety.

Zaida’s series opener is a robust combination of politics and action in the vein of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series. Taking place after riots forced a societal reset, the story gives readers plenty to identify with, including addictive devices called “screens” that are monitored and tracked by the Ministries. But the most striking narrative element is that violence and homelessness have been eliminated, per the Tenets of the Gods. These social ills are impossible for Elle to imagine, yet she acknowledges that the threat of their return is “a very convenient excuse for the Ministries...to be able to tell everyone what to do.” Viewpoints from the spectrum between capitalism and Marxism are lucidly explored, like this Alliance critique of the Ministries: “If a gifted and hard-working person made a far bigger contribution than anyone else, they could still barely earn more than the laziest person in the smallest role.” The author adds touches of mystery and SF when Dr. Goodman learns that those who become Asura do so regardless of their moral standing in the community. Secrets surrounding Elle’s origin unfold and add emotional weight to her quest. Careful details, like River’s grandmother Aki’s nicknaming him Ocean for the potential she sees, bring even secondary characters to brilliant life. When the simmering violence finally erupts, Zaida explicitly shows that there’s collateral damage no matter how targeted the attack. By the end, an intriguing new status quo has been achieved that will make the sequel unmissable.

An engrossing, intellectually vigorous political adventure that will spark discussions among teens and adults.