Wednesday 17 April 2019

The Test - Book Review


The Test
by Sylvain Neuvel


What is it about:
Britain, the not-too-distant future.
Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.
He wants his family to belong.

Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.

When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?


What did I think of it:
After I read Sleeping Giants I wanted to try something else by Neuvel and picked up this novella.

What can I say... Someone on Goodreads said this novella is perfect for fans of Black Mirror. That should have given me pause, because I am not a fan of Black Mirror.

Don't get me wrong: this is a well written novella, but it's the same kind of bleak as a lot of Black Mirror episodes, and even though I love Dystopia, I'm not a fan of bleak. I want there to be hope. So while I was intrigued by this novella, it didn't give me the emotional journey I want from Dystopia.

Luckily this was a short read, so I wasn't caught in this bleakness for too long. I will definitely read more by Neuvel, but not the books that are compared to Black Mirror.

Why should you read it:
It's a well-written Dystopian Novella


Buy from Amazon

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