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These dystopian novels, paired with the dystopian times upon us thanks to unbelievable actions of the government is starting to be too much for me. The way the facts are manipulated in this book (the main character isn‘t wrongfully imprisoned, she‘s merely “under observation”) is so disturbing and something I can see our world sliding into. The use of technology to predict future behavior, believable. This book is unsettling. More⬇️

A rather sinister news item featured in many UK press publications this week. Scary timing for those of us who have recently read the tagged book.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/08/uk-creating-prediction-tool-to-i...

As all good dystopian fiction should be, this is eerily prescient and portrays a future one can almost see, and certain fully imagine. What was lacking for me is a full exploration of tech firm DreamSaver Inc; we get a chapter or two focussed on one of their developers, but nothing more and this felt a missed opportunity to take the story further. It also had echoes of other dystopian fiction I‘ve read, however overall a great read.

Thanks to spring break, I got a lot of reading in! These were my favs for March.

#womensprizeforfiction This is a very well written, compelling, and uncomfortable read. Particularly uncomfortable in Trumps America. I am happy I read it, but I can't say I enjoyed it. 4 🌟

Last weekend I noticed a brand tote for the first time, I don‘t remember discussing it, but since then my feeds are full of Bogg Bags advertisements. I told my DIL that my phone was crawling into my head. …So is it a stretch my phone charging at my night stand could soon steal my dreams for profiling? Damn😱

I found this story of a retention system that holds people with elevated danger scores to allegedly prevent crimes engrossing. It has so many parallels to the current immigration approach in the US as well as mass incarceration. I do feel that the dream element should have either been more fleshed out or removed entirely. I really feel like Lalami‘s books could be exceptional with a little more editing.

I lifted @squirrelbrain 's graphic and added stickers for the ones I've read. I've got my fingers crossed for Ministry of Time and The Dream Hotel making the shortlist. Still hoping to read some more of the others: found it harder to get hold of all of them this year.

#WomensPrizeLL25

The reflection that meets her in the mirror reminds her of the pandemic of her childhood. Unlike some of her classmates in school she never minded wearing masks: they concealed her bouts of acne, the rage she felt whenever a boy told her she needed to smile more, her impatience with strangers who asked, "So what are you?" She couldn't have known that the skill would come in handy so many years later.

I think I‘ve been reading too much dystopian fiction lately, while living in a more dystopian world each day. This #WP25 book about women being detained because of their dreams, ruled by angry white men, feels utterly improbable but I thought the same of what‘s happening right now in the US. It can‘t be? Yes it can 😬
I normally love dystopian books but this one is just okay for me. I blame current politics, not Laila Lalami.

A woman detained because of future crimes she might commit according to her dreams and the system that keeps her there. Crisp writing and a clear depiction of the helplessness of having your rights stripped away and being at the mercy of the whims and moods of those with power over you. Yet I had a hard time picking this back up after putting it down. I think it was too much for me when I already spend my days in fear watching the news.

Book 9 #wpf25

This was a scarily prescient read, particularly in the current political climate. Sara is pulled aside on her way through LAX and ‘detained‘ in a facility (not imprisoned!) due to her dreams indicating she *might* commit a crime in the future.

I liked the interactions and the menace in that facility - where the inmates can‘t do anything right so their retentions get extended. I felt that more could have been made of ⬇️

Scary dystopian shit, that‘s not really dystopian. Claustrophobic and you can feel this isn‘t far away.
Great read, even if terrifying.

The writing was so precise it put you in place the entire time. Discomfort, anxiousness, overwhelm, all of it felt alongside the protagonist. The concept was very intriguing, but so damn scary if you allow yourself to think about it a bit further. Like the moment of denial at the cusp of a catastrophe. You need to be in high spirits not to be too affected by the story. That speaks to the writing.

#WP25 book 7/15
This is very good. It has feelings of Handmaid's Tale to it while being wildly different. The story focuses on a group of women but we know women are not the only ones targeted. The crimes they "might" commit are hypothetical. If you were not paranoid about government monitoring before reading this you soon will be. Everything here feels horrifically plausible (thinking of Musks brain implants people are actually getting)
4/5