I’m a huge fan of dystopias (except for the one we seem to be currently living in), so much so I’m even willing to try new unheard of authors, just to check out their take on the genre. IN this case the gamble has definitely paid off. Poster Boy is set in a future so near, it’s essentially in the newspapers. With one minor expection of advanced technology, it’s all too close for comfort. It’s a British dystopia, but the undercurrents and themes are widely international. The new England is the world where overreactions got manipulated to push the public toward a distinctly racist xenophobic way of life, masterminded by thoroughly evil moneyed ambition and puppeteered by a vile demagogue, Cole. Lincolns are a nice middle class family that gets entangled with the powers that be when their son purely by chance (as in purely by chance, he falls into the traffic while high) saves the prime minister’s life. Immediately this gets spun into a story of a heroic deed (making him the eponymous poster boy for a regime he despised) and entire thing perpetuates a lie too immense for the boy’s twin sister to live with. The book is essentially her story, although the narrative is spliced with Theresa’s, a slick behind the scenes operator/double agent, so eager to bring on the change, she’s completely unscrupulous about the means she utilizes to that end. In a way Theresa’s character is fascinating precisely because she has essentially allowed herself to become a terrible person without once even pausing to consider this, because she believes she’s doing the right thing. Which in a way makes her all too much like Cole, the man she is trying to destroy. Theresa’s character definitely raises a lot of ethical and moral questions about how far one can let their ideas and ambition take them without becoming the thing they hate the most. But no soul gazing there. Theresa is on a mission and she will manipulate anyone who might be of use, including a young innocent person. So it isn’t just a dystopia (although it definitely is and a bleakly striking and terrifying one at that), there are some fascinating meditations on the nature of good and evil in the face of adversity. More evil, in fact. Those uncompromised by the new sociopolitical climate are few and far in between. And the events, the parallels are frighteningly realistic. It’s a nightmarish show of possibilities that reads like something straight out of the newspapers, but is fictionalized for the readers’ peace of mind, however temporary that might be. The ending alone…well, it’s a doozy. Sad, somber, brutal, devastating, poignant…this is certainly a potent brew of a novel, especially so for a debut. Very good work of dystopian fiction. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

A very interesting read. Nothing like I’ve ever read before. A frighteningly real story. This is a little different from my usual reads as it’s set in the future. However, the writing was so well done. Really enjoyable and slightly terrifying read