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A review by senatorvreenak
The Mark by Fríða Ísberg
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
The core concept is intriguing - a mandated empathy test for all citizens - if a bit of a stretch, first that something like this could be developed and reliably used, second that it would be proposed to make everyone take it. But that aside it works well as a device to examine a polarised society without having to use one of the many contemporaneous real-world examples. Allows for a broader perspective without seeming didactic or heavy handed. Being set in Iceland makes all the debate seem more personal - it's harder to criticise a faceless 'other' when everyone moves in very closely revolving circles.
I also enjoyed this more local flavour of a near-future, vaguely dystopian society. There are some subtle and effective bits of world-building. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and there's a solid cast of characters here. The plot winds quite nicely around them, and they're all bound up together in quite a satisfying way by the end. There are two letter writers though who I'm still somewhat in the dark about.
The prose is clear and precise and flowed very well, so likely a nice job on the translation from the original Icelandic also.
I also enjoyed this more local flavour of a near-future, vaguely dystopian society. There are some subtle and effective bits of world-building. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and there's a solid cast of characters here. The plot winds quite nicely around them, and they're all bound up together in quite a satisfying way by the end. There are two letter writers though who I'm still somewhat in the dark about.
The prose is clear and precise and flowed very well, so likely a nice job on the translation from the original Icelandic also.