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A review by n_asyikin_
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He
challenging
dark
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CW: some depictions of violence, ableism (read in review)
Cee woke up one day, on an island all alone, with little memory. Any memory she had centred around her sister, Kasey. Relying on the materials she discovered in an abandoned house on the seemingly uninhabited island, Cee wanted to find her way home, at a floating city, she vaguely remembered.
Kasey's sister Celia (Cee) went missing. While she struggled to process the secrets about Cee she discovered along the way, Kasey was intent on finding her & bringing her back home.
All the while, the Earth is slowly breaking apart as the result of climate change. Kasey was pulled between wanting to find her sister and finding solutions that could prevent human extinction.
Initially, I struggled to get into the story. Told from dual perspectives, changing between the two sisters, the narration vacillated between being rather mechanical (i.e. talking about the technologies factually) to inconsequential (e.g. Cee's daily every day routine). Furthermore, the development to Cee & Hero's story at the start felt out-of-place; the sudden attraction left me cringing. But about a hundred pages in, the two sisters storyline begun to converge, significant details provided context to the reader; that got me engaged in speculating about what had happened, even Cee & Hero's relationship begun to develop more organically.
The element of natural disasters & possible human extinction plus the way the eco-cities were run created a dystopian world. Personally, I'd love to discuss about the many moral dilemmas dotted throughout the stories: from the right to autonomy within a community, to limitations in the freedom of choice, and the ableist root to one's "usefulness" in society; The One We're Meant To Find would definitely leave you contemplating.
I also thought that the book heavily depicted internalized ableism. Kasey struggled with social interactions, implying that she was neurodivergent.Unfortunately, Kasey had always see herself as being lesser for it, even considering to create ways to "fix-the-problem". I was definitely uncomfortable by the notion that Kasey's apathy & morally questionable views seemed to be tied upon her neurodiversity: a stigma often faced by neurodiverse individuals, seemingly implied that they're incapable of appreciating and/or respecting other people's feelings.
To be fair, in a short quip, Kasey did eventually recognized how wrong that view was - although, it was never fully addressed. Characters like Art also shared many morally questionable judgment despite not being neurodivergent. And perhaps, it was He's intention to show the injustices in a society that functions based on meritocracy. Although never explicitly stated, Kasey's neurodivergence had certainly left me on the fence; I thought He did not address it enough (e.g. the danger of it; the consequences to its victims; how dehumanizing those ableist view was).
Another aspect to the story I liked to reflect upon is the belief in the absolutism of science. Science is a tool wielded by people. And people are prejudiced. For that reason, science is never completely objectives. The failure to recognise how science have always been a tool of oppressions (read: Saini's Superior; McKrittick's Dear Science) irked me. Though I liked to point out, this book was never meant to address that really. If anything, it was just a belief held by Kasey; reflecting a contrast between the two sisters. Still, thought I shared my thought on it.
At the gist of it, The One We're Meant To Find depicted the extremes of following your heart vs. your mind. It's a book that invites critical thinking as we followed our MCs & their struggle with moral decisions. The world He created was fascinating, though deprived of some key elements (e.g. sociopolitical & power dynamics) that would've made it a more astute depiction.
Regardless, if you're looking for a book with morally gray characters facing multiple moral dilemmas set in a dystopia, The One We're Meant To Find will be perfect for you.
Cee woke up one day, on an island all alone, with little memory. Any memory she had centred around her sister, Kasey. Relying on the materials she discovered in an abandoned house on the seemingly uninhabited island, Cee wanted to find her way home, at a floating city, she vaguely remembered.
Kasey's sister Celia (Cee) went missing. While she struggled to process the secrets about Cee she discovered along the way, Kasey was intent on finding her & bringing her back home.
All the while, the Earth is slowly breaking apart as the result of climate change. Kasey was pulled between wanting to find her sister and finding solutions that could prevent human extinction.
Initially, I struggled to get into the story. Told from dual perspectives, changing between the two sisters, the narration vacillated between being rather mechanical (i.e. talking about the technologies factually) to inconsequential (e.g. Cee's daily every day routine).
The element of natural disasters & possible human extinction plus the way the eco-cities were run created a dystopian world. Personally, I'd love to discuss about the many moral dilemmas dotted throughout the stories: from the right to autonomy within a community, to limitations in the freedom of choice, and the ableist root to one's "usefulness" in society; The One We're Meant To Find would definitely leave you contemplating.
I also thought that the book heavily depicted internalized ableism. Kasey struggled with social interactions, implying that she was neurodivergent.
At the gist of it, The One We're Meant To Find depicted the extremes of following your heart vs. your mind. It's a book that invites critical thinking as we followed our MCs & their struggle with moral decisions. The world He created was fascinating, though deprived of some key elements (e.g. sociopolitical & power dynamics) that would've made it a more astute depiction.
Regardless, if you're looking for a book with morally gray characters facing multiple moral dilemmas set in a dystopia, The One We're Meant To Find will be perfect for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Ableism