The Future by Naomi Alderman

The Future

Author: Naomi Alderman

Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi

Format: Physical ARC from Simon & Schuster

Publish Date: November 2023

Read: October 2023

Favorite Quote: There were no clicks or eyeballs in the sensible, reasoned middle ground, and all the money in the world in encouraging users to rush to treat the extremes as if they were the center.

Story Synopsis: Martha Einkorn is the right-hand woman to one of the most powerful tech CEOs in the world. After a global pandemic, political unrest, and the continuing polarizing of viewpoints, Martha and a few unexpected allies take saving the world into their own hands.

How do a handful of people save the world? By controlling the future.

Why does this book beguile? I’d heard a bit about this book before I received it from Simon & Schuster, but I didn’t have any expectations. After all, ARCs can be amazing and become long-term favorites… or, they can fall flat.

The Future is one of the former. I immediately got sucked into the dystopian setting, which is very believable. In the future, our world looks as it does now: political unrest, nearly unbelievable tech, and a few tech oligarchs controlling everything. With parallels drawn to Elon Musk, Apple, and Amazon, Naomi Alderman writes a compelling story about what could happen if we don’t focus on what made the human race successful in the millennia leading up to the twentieth century.

There are multiple POVs and timelines, which make for a twisty, exciting adventure because you continue to wonder what’s next. The cast is diverse, and the message Alderman wants readers to absorb is simultaneously overt and understated.

Rating: 5/5

Link*: The Future by Naomi Alderman

If you’re interested in this, read*: Bridge by Lauren Beukes