Welcome to Litsy!

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