Title: The Price
Author: Matthew Barrow
Published by: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Publication date: 16th Jan 2024
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Pages: 170
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Blurb/Synopsis
In a future England, governed by the authoritarian Party of Order and Nation, individuals are selected at random to live in enforced poverty. The policy is called ‘the Price’: in order for the majority to live well, the policy states, a minority must go without. Equality is impossible.
One morning, office worker Krystan Hoad is told that he has been assigned to pay that price. As his world is turned upside down, a story of revolution unfolds through snapshots of the lives of twelve interconnected individuals: a network of dissidents called The Dream League; a robotics genius persecuted by a corrupt police officer; a mysterious agent of the resistance; a wealthy gallery owner leading a double life; a questioning civil servant at the heart of government; and a young woman with a secret mission…
Through these and others, a portrait unfolds of life under the shadow of the Price: the surveillance drones and police androids that maintain order, life at the bottom and the top, and the beginnings of an uprising…
Review
Picked up this book as an ARC from NetGalley, many thanks to Troubadour Publishing for the approval~
The Price tells a story of revolution against an unfair governmental system that forces unsuspecting citizen to pay ‘the price’ – enforced poverty so that the remaining percentage of the population can live in relative luxury; at least compared to those below the poverty line.
The unfair system is detailed through the eyes of twelve distinct characters – each having a chapter of their own that pushes the narrative forward to its conclusion.
While I enjoyed the book overall, the idea, unique concept and world building was fascinating; the way in which each of the chapters blends the plot together and takes the revolution forward was particularly well realised. The tension coming in the form of drones that seem to grow in number as the plot progresses; the use of androids and their counterpart humans in government, we’re of particular note in terms of tension – displaying the division between those that pay the price and those that are living the luxurious life.
Although there was a distinction between those paying the price, in terms of location they lived and jobs they undertook, it would have really hammered home the disparity of ‘the price’ if more of the world in which the 80% of inhabitants lived was shown with more clarity – everyone in the book was working, some of it didn’t come across as luxurious as it probably could have; the polarity didn’t feel all that impactful to me.
I struggled part way through, though. Some of the early characters were really sympathetic to read about and follow along with, but unfortunately, because of the structure of the novel, they get swept under the rug and forgotten about in the bigger picture of the book, which was a shame as those early connections with the reader would have helped to convey the horror of the dystopian world building if they’d been continued.
The ending of the book was swift; a revolution begins then the book ends. A little more wrapping up would have left me with a more well-rounded reading experience.
I enjoyed the concept of the book a great deal. Dystopian cultures are absolutely fascinating and The Price offers something that, while dystopian, doesn’t feel all that far off. It’s a haunting tale of how things can quickly go wrong for certain members of society; rivalling concepts in The Handmaids Tale in terms of if we look the wrong way, life can quickly change for the worst.
I’d have like a bit more depth to some of the early characters – revisiting them to see how The Price they have paid has truly impacted their lives, but as is, it’s an interesting study into revolution and how things can change if we band together.
Summery
A quick, easy-to-read exploration of revolution through the eyes of 12 different characters working towards a common goal. A little ‘arms-length’ in terms of character attachments, letting the plot/narrative take the foreground as opposed to character-driven fiction.
Tragic Fangirl 