Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee: The world-building in this book really hooked me. The story takes place in Margate, England, a coastal town that has been cut off from the main power supply due to nefarious political maneuvering and climate change. Our main character, Chance, grows up in this drug-filled world with little hope of escape to a better life. But Rankin-Gee shows us that no life is meaningless as Chance and her family and friends find their joy and pleasure in small ways, among the heartache and heartbreak. A romance at the center of this book is quite evocative, and the story ends with, if not unadulterated hope, certainly not despair. I highly recommend this novel for the entrancing voice, world-building, and wider dystopian world that the book implies and helps the reader to imagine.
This is a classic sci-fi book that hooked me immediately with the mystery of the main character’s (Isserly) actions in the opening scenes, where she picks up very particular male hitch hikers along the Scottish Highlands and engages in delicate conversations. I won’t spoil the story, but the way that author Faber immerses the reader in Isserly’s worldview is compelling and masterful. The ending is a perfect outcome for the story and left me feeling as though I was still seeing the world through Isserly’s point of view and holding a great deal of compassion for her, despite her actions. I don’t recommend the movie, however. It’s not very much like the superior story told within this novel.