The Mandibles - Lionel Shriver

photo courtesy: goodreads.com

An unnerving futuristic story. 

Unnerving because, although the premise of the story sounds bizarre it seems so plausible. The title gives the impression of a saga - well it traces the lives of the family members over a 18 year period - but it is interspersed with elements of science fiction and "economic fiction" (if the genre exists!).

Lionel Shriver's books are known to many; for me she was a new author. A quick search told me her books have been great successes, winning reviews containing the word "thought provoking" to say the least. 

I agree with them. I received this book from the mumsnet book club. I am glad I did and stuck through with it. It was not an easy read.

Gist:

As the title suggests, the Mandibles are a family of three generations living in the US and are going through a period where the dollar as a currency has crashed and its implications on their lives.

What works:

• Loved the wordplay especially with the names of Willing Darkly and Elona. Very cleverly done.

• Loved the futuristic world. A Mexican president and the immigrants taking over. A wall keeping America out. oh and the program. Wow! what imagination.

• My favourtie bits from the story were the dialogues where a character says "No one reads books. Everyone is writing them." Also in another part, where Lowell laments that work of the mind is not considered a skill anymore when compared to physical labour. 

• The story has been structured and loved the chapter headings too. Cynical and at times mindboggling. But it makes sense once you delve into the chapter. 

• It is a demanding book; definitely not an escapist read. But it kept on playing on my mind long after. Worth the trudge then.

What doesn't:

• There are times when it reads like an economics textbook.

Overall, a very interesting, thought provoking story. Especially in this Brexit and Trump era, such books hold more relevance than they would - normally.