Reviews

Q by Christina Dalcher

Only show reviews with written explanations

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

Master Class, by the same author who wrote Vox (which is on my TBR, but I haven't read yet) is a dystopian tale set in the USA. In this society, everyone has a Q, which is their intelligence score, but also factors in other things. Your Q pretty much control everything. Kids are regularly tested and if their Q goes lower than certain thresholds they are transferred to a different lower school. Silver schools are at the top, then green schools and at the bottom are the yellow state schools.

Our protagonist Elena has a PhD and works at a silver school as a science teacher. Her two daughters also go to silver school and her husband has a high profile job in the department of Education. When their younger daughter, Freddie scores low on a test Elena is shocked when she is sent to a yellow school instead of just a green school. Elena decides to quit her job at the elite silver school and transfer to the yellow school to be with her daughter.

This is a tale of education reform gone to the extreme. A society so ruled by ranking people to find the best of the best and push the not quite best down.

I recommend this to fans of dystopian novels and I've now moved VOX closer to the top of my TBR.

ginqueen's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

katykelly's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Another powerful dystopian world, highly disturbing and close to the bone.

Vox was terrifying. A world too close to our own, as dark as you can get, and impossible to forget. On the basis of that, I was always prepared to read Dalcher's next without knowing anything about it. And she clearly has a head full of black thoughts about our society and where we are heading. Another dystopian world awaits readers, one in which genetic screening through to a child's education determines and separates their potential, their Q (Quotient) score. Similar to an IQ, young people are segregated and judged based on their number, which are tested regularly.

Nobody will not see the parallels between this civilisation and their own - standardised testing, , teaching to the test, the class system of the private and grammar schools. Elena Fairchild works in one of the most elite schools, catering to those with the highest Q scores, given the most money and resources and whose students are destined for the highest positions and satisfying, privileged lives.

Her eldest daughter breezes through her lessons and every test, apple of her Department for Education executive father's eye. Their youngest though, has always found herself close to moving down a Q category, and one month the inevitable happens. The immediate consequences of this causes friction within Elena and between her and Malcolm.

We follow Elena's realisations as she sees the system she has been a part of for so long for what it is for so many. As a mother, her instincts trump any loyalties elsewhere and readers are taken along with her as she delves into just what her society decrees is permissible for those deemed intellectually subservient.

Vox may have the edge on Q (also called Master Class) slightly, but it's a wakeup call nevertheless in a system based on test scores alone. Elena proves herself the fiercest and bravest of mothers, and her world is one just a shade away from our own, too easy to picture.

Elena's voice comes across powerfully in the Audible version, it's a perfect book for listening to. Her narration makes this immediate and gripping. Malcolm, and the history of their relationship that Elena gradually shares with us are both intriguing, dark and enlightening. How their marriage fares with the trajectory of their daughters is shocking. And seeing the past brings its own illumination.

Dalcher is a new generation's Atwood, with an instinct for mirroring the contemporary world in a dystopian-esque reflection. I can't wait to see what she holds up to our faces next.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

dembury's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this book. It's an immensely frustrating read that falsely prides itself on thinking about well-being for every child and family (not just white, skinny, straight people) all while being told by the most bland, white, skinniest, straightest character possible and totally ignoring other ethnic groups, races, sexualities, etc. It pays brief lip service to these communities without actually bringing them up.
It's incredibly fatphobic - like, SO fatphobic. The only fat characters are "evil" ones, and the main character has such an obvious aversion/disgust to even the idea of having a roll on her belly.
The characters are little more than stereotypes. The writing is poor and leans heavily on tired tropes and ideas, offering nothing fresh to think about. Also, the writing/plot is messy, dragging on for 150 pages and then careening all over with little rhyme or reason.
This whole book just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Edit: another reviewer (link to their review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3160913135?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1) said this and it accurately sums up how I felt about how I felt about that first aspect I mentioned:

"It is mentioned that the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities and those that suffer with mental health issues are specifically targeted groups of society under this new and oppressive mandate. But, not giving them any voice or representation past a single token lesbian character, who has no role within the context of the story, I found to be shameful.
Instead we again see what a hard time the straight, middle-class, highly educated, white woman (who somehow caused these systems to be rolled out in the first place) had when dealing with the repercussions. If an author "cares" enough to acknowledge the struggle these groups face, why not do something to accommodate for them in their own story? It comes across as "fake-woke" to mention it and then to leave it alone. Instead they'd sooner write from inside their own little bubble of understanding. Only giving voice to those they can relate to personally."

kruthika_prakash's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Q is about a society that lays emphasis on its Q scores—performance quotient of everyone of school or working age. The zeitgeist of the characters in the novel okays social segregation as failure is perceived contagious. With the development of AI, the book is surely relevant.
https://booksfoodmylife.blogspot.com/2023/05/q-by-dalcher-christina-thought.html

thephdivabooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Master Class is without a doubt one of the most thought-provoking, socially terrifying books I have read. Not by overt horror but through the way she crafts a society that by the end of the book doesn’t seem so far off from our own. Absolutely gripping and brilliant!

I love a good dystopian fiction novel on occasion, but I’m picky about them. If you are the type of reader who tends to find that they aren’t a good fit for you, give Master Class by Christina Dalcher a try because I can almost guarantee it will change your mind! Fascinating, gripping, and an ending that will have your mind reeling!

In the book, the country breaks all people out according to their Q score—an index of their intelligence but also certain factors about their life, such as their parent’s Q scores and jobs. Elena Fairchild is a mother to two daughters—Anne and Freddie.

All kids are assigned to a three-tiered school system depending on their Q score, and Elena’s kids are in the highest tier (a prestigious school where Elena herself teaches). Students are tested monthly, and if their score drops too low, they get dropped a tier (or very rarely two tiers) in their school. While kids can go down a level based on a bad Q score, they aren’t really able to go back up a tier based on a good score.

This premise is interesting, right? Initially on reading it, I thought a lot about the logic of it all. A system that in theory places kids in schools with others of a similar ability level, so that instruction can be most effective doesn’t sound so wild in theory. But these Q scores permeate life. They determine what jobs you can get, whether you get priority checkout at the grocery store, and what opportunities your kids have.

Elena and her husband both have high Q scores, and their elder daughter Anne is a high-performer who consistently maintains a high Q score. But their younger daughter, Freddie, is anxious and constantly struggles to maintain a passing Q score for their elite school. And then one testing day, the results come back and Freddie has bombed the test, dropping her to the lowest tier school. These schools are boarding schools halfway across the country, and their parents are only allowed very limited visits.

Elena will do anything to get Freddie back, including destroying her own life and family…
There are so many twisted and addictive plot points that unfold, where you learn more about the society and Q scores—everything from their origin to how they relate to other aspects of society. The more you learn, the more terrifying it all becomes. Dalcher draws some parallels to other aspects of our actual society and history that when you see them laid out will have your mind spinning! I really can’t say much more because this is truly something you need to read to find out all of the twists for.

Timely, unputdownable social commentary that is a must-read! The ending is sure to have your mind tied up for days thinking about it all!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

motherofladybirds's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Enjoyed the premise. Children being sorted and discarded, sterilizations, all things that have happened and not just in Nazi Germany. A timely reminder with all that is happening in the world right now, not to allow this to happen by default. It was pacy and kept me reading. The ending was the right one I thought.