A review by eniatea
The Future by Naomi Alderman

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

it took me forever to get through this, mostly because the middle was overly drawn out with exposition on "this is how we got here."  I love me some character development but this wasn't compelling and so it was a slog to get through.  

similarly, the ending felt forced.  like there was a true ending, and the editor wanted a couple of extra chapters to tie up the loose ends so the reader wouldn't feel cheated out of a conclusion after investing so much time in that sloggy middle.  and then that felt too rosy so there was another ending tacked on. 

the structure of this book, woof: you think youre done, there are acknowledgements, and then there's another chapter, a colophon, and then more book?!  what kind of easter egg nonesense is that?!  if I wasn't reading on paper, I would have missed it.

I really did like the concept of this book though. It's a shame that these things got in its way.