The premise of this book is great - and I could have really enjoyed it, but I had to quit. The story is told in the first person, the narrator is named Michael O'Connor and he had a crappy childhood, left home at 15, etc. Michael has never held a job, or done anything decent in his life, he makes his money by stealing (or working as he puts it, he feels entitled to take from others). After being caught, he's sent to prison but on the way is caught in the crossfire during an escape attempt.5 years later, Michael wakes up to a new America where there are no jails, but you are monitored with an anklet, there are no atms and no cash, you pay with credits, everyone earns a set amount per year (you can earn more but there's taxes that are pretty crazy). He is given a team of counselors who work to get him ready to get a job and be a productive member of society. But this waste of flesh doesn't want to do it, and keeps whining about his "job" being harder now that people don't have cash. I quit reading when Michael went to a bank and wanted access to a safety deposit box where he had stolen jewelry and isn't allowed to get to it, he says things like "this is my stuff that I worked hard to earn". Give me a break, he stole it, it wasn't his, I couldn't take his attitude anymore. I quit.I did skip to the end to see that . I can't say that this ending would have upset me. If the character wasn't such a tool, I may have enjoyed reading the book. I just couldn't take anymore of him. This was a really interesting read. Though it's set in the future, it's not so much of a dystopian society story as it is a story about one man struggling to find redemption in a system where the odds are stacked against him. I have to suspect this is a deliberate commentary on the current criminal justice system, done to point out just how hard we make it on people to be successfully 'rehabilitated and reintegrated'. The story itself is quite interesting, for the most part. There were a few places that I felt it dragged, but overall the pacing was very appropriate for the story being told. This book has a lot of social commentary in it. Not only on the criminal justice system, but on our society in general. The author points out rather scathingly the role that socioeconomic status can play in someone's development, as well as how difficult being a felon can be. Yes, this is set in the future, but for many people this is their reality. With a felony conviction finding anything but a minimum wage job is near impossible in most of the country. The main character, despite being a criminal, becomes very sympathetic. I found myself very much wanting to see him succeed as he struggled to understand the difference between surviving as he always had and doing the right thing in normal society. This isn't a light book, but it's well written and I believe addresses some difficult issues in a very interesting way. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who works in the criminal justice field, or has an interest in such things.
Do You like book The End Of Marking Time (2010)?
A thought-provoking novel that takes place in an ultra-modern criminal justice system. A must-read!
—desyerina88
Love this book. It's a book that makes you think. Love his writing style.
—pinkmoma
One of those books you think about, long after you have read it!
—mischy87
A pleasant surprise. Written in 1st person, interesting read.
—Shannon
