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A review by storytimed
The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew
2.0
This is an alternate history where the Nazis won WWII and took over England. Jessika is devoted to the regime (& gay), her bff and unrequited crush Clementine is a rebel
I liked the idea of this, but the execution was a little lacking? I think that the contours of the dystopia were not concrete
Mayhew tells the story slightly out of order, which adds to the confusion: we start with Jessika's slow political awakening with a climax when she witnesses Clementine's rebellion, then jump to her being detained, then jump to the immediate aftermath of Clementine's Big Action and show what led to Jessika's detainment
I'm not mad that Jessika doesn't overthrow the government as a teen, but her emotional arc is simply not well-constructed or compelling enough to pull off a 1984-style ending. The futility of her actions is neither depressing nor enraging. It's just kind of stupid.
I liked the idea of this, but the execution was a little lacking? I think that the contours of the dystopia were not concrete
Mayhew tells the story slightly out of order, which adds to the confusion: we start with Jessika's slow political awakening with a climax when she witnesses Clementine's rebellion, then jump to her being detained, then jump to the immediate aftermath of Clementine's Big Action and show what led to Jessika's detainment
I'm not mad that Jessika doesn't overthrow the government as a teen, but her emotional arc is simply not well-constructed or compelling enough to pull off a 1984-style ending. The futility of her actions is neither depressing nor enraging. It's just kind of stupid.