The Price

This was a very interesting read! The world building and concept was interesting and nicely described. It describes a common distopian society with some tropes showing up, however, there was not a lot of hand holding of the reader or loredrop which made it actually easy to read. The only information you were fed was the information relevant to the character you're following.

Speaking of characters - there is not a single main character or POV. The book has a total of 12 chapters and each chapter follows their own character. They are all more or less loosely related and connected to the plot moving forward, but you don't get to really fall in love and stick with one of them.
In general the narration feels distanced to what is going on. Some of the characters' feelings are being touched upon, but the narrator is never really going deep and discussing their thoughts, considerations, etc. At times it feels a bit like a report describing what happened based on interviews with the different characters.

It requires a bit of getting used to. I feel like it works well with the length of the book - it's not too long to make one get annoyed about just being a drone hovering over the character. (Maybe that is the impression the reader was supposed to have - like being a drone?)

The ending came kinda abrupt and feels like a cliffhanger - not sure it's supposed to be, though. The political and societal structures were built so detailed and a lot of questions were raised about howthe problems could be resolved - I felt a bit lost and left alone when everything suddenly ended without being resolved or explained. This might have been intentional, I guess.

It is not my new favorite book and at times it was a bit dragging to read, but overall I found "The Price" interesting and refreshing compared to what I usually read. The length was perfect even though I would have wished for an epilogue to end things plot-wise.

The Price tells a story of revolution against an unfair governmental system that forces unsuspecting citizen to pay 'the price' - enforced poverty so that the remaining percentage of the population can live in relative luxury; at least compared to those below the poverty line.
The unfair system is detailed through the eyes of twelve distinct characters - each having a chapter of their own that pushes the narrative forward to its conclusion.

While I enjoyed the book overall, the idea, unique concept and world building was fascinating; the way in which each of the chapters blends the plot together and takes the revolution forward was particularly well realised. The tension coming in the form of drones that seem to grow in number as the plot progresses; the use of androids and their counterpart humans in government, we're of particular note in terms of tension - displaying the division between those that pay the price and those that are living the luxurious life.

Although there was a distinction between those paying the price, in terms of location they lived and jobs they undertook, it would have really hammered home the disparity of 'the price' if more of the world in which the 80% of inhabitants lived was shown with more clarity - everyone in the book was working, some of it didn't come across as luxurious as it probably could have; the polarity didn't feel all that impactful to me.

I struggled part way through, though. Some of the early characters were really sympathetic to read about and follow along with, but unfortunately, because of the structure of the novel, they get swept under the rug and forgotten about in the bigger picture of the book, which was a shame as those early connections with the reader would have helped to convey the horror of the dystopian world building if they'd been continued.

The ending of the book was swift; a revolution begins then the book ends. A little more wrapping up would have left me with a more well-rounded reading experience.

I enjoyed the concept of the book a great deal. Dystopian cultures are absolutely fascinating and The Price offers something that, while dystopian, doesn't feel all that far off. It's a haunting tale of how things can quickly go wrong for certain members of society; rivalling concepts in The Handmaids Tale in terms of if we look the wrong way, life can quickly change for the worst.
I'd have like a bit more depth to some of the early characters - revisiting them to see how The Price they have paid has truly impacted their lives, but as is, it's an interesting study into revolution and how things can change if we band together.

This was a very interesting and frightening read to a degree as the ideas portrayed through the plot seem unlikely to happen but with the current climate there's a growing fear of what if and this book definitely adds to my what if's.

This is only a relatively short book but boy does it make itself known. Set in a not too distant future England, under the government of the Party of Order and Nation, who have a rather strange and authoritarian way of balancing the books (a good day to review this book as it is budget day in the UK but I digress). Individuals are selected at random (yeah right) and forced to live in poverty, their previous wealth being seized. They must leave their homes and live in designated areas. Work in specific jobs. This policy is called The Price.
We first meet Krystan when he is summoned by his boss to a meeting where he is informed that he has been selected to Pay The Price.
But have they selected the wrong person and Krystan already has links to certain dissident factions through his brother and other friends. The baton for telling this story then switches to one of these...
And this is how the storytelling continues, each chapter of the book going forward is told by another character. Some previous characters continue on in the story, others just play their parts and return to the shadows. It's definitely a novel way of telling the tale, but one which really works for me and indeed for the story being told.
I won't spoil things by mentioning too much else, but I do have to mention the use of drones in the society that has been created herein. Scary stuff... I also loved the part where someone interesting was selected and the fallout from that!
All in all, an interesting book and one that, to be honest, I could actually see happening, albeit hopefully not in this country, giving it more credibility and a bigger fear factor. Looking at his profile, I think this is a debut book, impressive... I really do wonder what he will serve up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My Review📖🖊️
The Price by Matthew Barrow is a gem of a book based around a dystopian future where society is split into workers and citizens. But it is really a case of the haves and the have-nots.
We also find that the future has finally taken Big Brother surveillance to the extreme and where paranoia reigns supreme. I have no doubt George Orwell would be impressed to see 1984 taken to another level entirely.
I wouldn't say that The Price is an action-packed thriller because it's not designed to be, though what it is is a clever, haunting tale of society on the brink of revolution, reminiscent of the society in Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, 1984 and more besides.
There's a cast of likeable and interesting characters, even if some make only fleeting appearances and then fade into the background. I suppose it is a relatively short book, so you have to make allowances for characters not being too fleshed out.
I enjoyed the many and varied points of view of different characters as they gave different perspectives from alternate sides of the arguments. It certainly brought across the heightened paranoia in certain quarters, that's for sure. There's plenty of drama, angst and tension, and add the political machinations, and you'll find some intriguing dialogue and conversations within the narrative.
I found it fascinating to see the naïve nature of future humans coping with artificial intelligence in the form of armed robots and drones. And having 24-hour surveillance in-house seven days a week. But then again, we're already arming drones, and many have Alexa or Siri, so who's naïve?
The Price has a compelling and fascinating storyline with a dystopian future that is distinctly plausible, not beyond the realms of possibility, considering the vast amount of surveillance currently in play.
The ending came abruptly, and the surprising conclusion was unexpected, to say the least. I was expecting a long-drawn-out finale, which didn't occur, and I was pleased, in a way.
The Price is a thought-provoking science-fiction novel definitely worthy of a read.