A review by thecosymoose
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Possibly more accurately titled "Shades of Grey, No Not That One".

I... dont' even know how to begin to describe this book. 

In a dystopian world, Shades of Grey is set in a time after Something Happened. There's evidence of past civilisation, but now it's a world where your position in life is governed by what colours you can see. Eddie Russet is a Red, hoping to marry a better class of Red, colour swatches are dealt on the beige market, everyone lives by a prescriptive set of rules. There are a limited number of facts that people are taught, and questions and curiosity are taboo. And then Eddie meets Jane, a Grey, the lowest of the social ranks, the workers, and she sparks something in him that is absolutely unheard of - a desire to see beyond colours, to seek the truth. 

I find dystopian reading quite uncomfortably close to current reality so tend to avoid it, although Fforde's dystopia is of a more surreal nature. Fforde has a habit of building a cosy world of absurdity, and as you begin to love the characters, there's a punch to the gut that stays with you long after the book ends.