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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I honestly didn't realize how much I forgot about the plot of this book until rereading it. It really does feel like an episode of Black Mirror in book form and leaves so much room for digesting and discussion.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars. I thought this was an interesting idea and the story itself was well structured. But the writing was just okay and felt like it could have been tighter.
Short and a little bizarre, certainly held the promise of something larger.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Test is a rather intriguing short story that follows an older man, Idir, as he is trying to become a Citizen of the British Republic in the near future. To do so, he has to sit a test and answer several questions relating to the current politics, previous history, culture and economics of the country. As he is taking the test, several events happen, some with other test subjects, but most notably, as armed offenders storm the building as a part of a political statement, taking hostages.
Idir has previously been in a similar situation, in his home country of Iraq, which was the reason he and his family left there several years ago, coming to Britain to try and lead a safer life (the irony is not lost on Idir either).
As events unfold, Idir finds himself in a somewhat terrifying position with the leader of the Hostage Takers, and his ‘Test’ becomes something else entirely.
There is a hidden aspect to this story (I am not going to give away spoilers), something that no one really knows or understands, and it makes the entire siege as it unfolds, that much more interesting.
Neuvel is brilliant at crafting these intelligent, well-thought out characters that are so enthralling that you are entirely captivated by them within seconds of the story starting. Idir’s story is fascinating, how he tries to cope with the events unfolding, tries to understand the motivations of everyone around him, but even more importantly, he tires to understand why people are doing things so that he can help them, as he is just a good person.
Neuvel has created a very interesting dystopian future to tell his story in, and one that, even though this is only a short novella, we still get to understand that things have changed dramatically to how they are now, so that the ‘citizenship’ tests are vastly different to what we understand them to be today. It paints a rather bleak picture of the future.
At the same time, Neuvel’s story also does take the time to point out the futility in the current system of citizenship tests in which most people are required to have this incredible understanding of the history of the country that they taking the test for (in this case it is Britain – but it does apply for most countries, such as the US or Australia), and that most of its citizens themselves couldn’t answer the questions on the test. (Funnily enough, there was a recent documentary on this exact subject in which someone went about and asked the questions on tests to several ‘Citizens’ and over 50% of the population failed).
Neuvel’s story is intensely gritty and powerful at points, and really makes you think on a number of topics, this is most definitely worth the read as it is a really interesting read.
Idir has previously been in a similar situation, in his home country of Iraq, which was the reason he and his family left there several years ago, coming to Britain to try and lead a safer life (the irony is not lost on Idir either).
As events unfold, Idir finds himself in a somewhat terrifying position with the leader of the Hostage Takers, and his ‘Test’ becomes something else entirely.
There is a hidden aspect to this story (I am not going to give away spoilers), something that no one really knows or understands, and it makes the entire siege as it unfolds, that much more interesting.
Neuvel is brilliant at crafting these intelligent, well-thought out characters that are so enthralling that you are entirely captivated by them within seconds of the story starting. Idir’s story is fascinating, how he tries to cope with the events unfolding, tries to understand the motivations of everyone around him, but even more importantly, he tires to understand why people are doing things so that he can help them, as he is just a good person.
Neuvel has created a very interesting dystopian future to tell his story in, and one that, even though this is only a short novella, we still get to understand that things have changed dramatically to how they are now, so that the ‘citizenship’ tests are vastly different to what we understand them to be today. It paints a rather bleak picture of the future.
At the same time, Neuvel’s story also does take the time to point out the futility in the current system of citizenship tests in which most people are required to have this incredible understanding of the history of the country that they taking the test for (in this case it is Britain – but it does apply for most countries, such as the US or Australia), and that most of its citizens themselves couldn’t answer the questions on the test. (Funnily enough, there was a recent documentary on this exact subject in which someone went about and asked the questions on tests to several ‘Citizens’ and over 50% of the population failed).
Neuvel’s story is intensely gritty and powerful at points, and really makes you think on a number of topics, this is most definitely worth the read as it is a really interesting read.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like i just watched a black mirror episode. The test Idir went through was so sick and twisted. The way that Deep treated the test like a spectacle makes me think of the hunger games. Not the story but the literal games when the children are in the arena for entertainment.
I cant rate this any higher (and may have rated it too high) because i dont know what the authors intentions for writing this were.
I cant rate this any higher (and may have rated it too high) because i dont know what the authors intentions for writing this were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Fatphobia, Racism
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced