“Language is our servant, submissive to the master of reason”
“We read to connect with other minds.”
In the not-so-distant future, the forecasted ‘death of print’ has become a reality, as we spend our time glued to handheld devices called Memes, which have become so intuitive as to hail us cabs and even create and sell language on the marketplace, called the Word Exchange. When Anana’s father disappears and the pandemic ‘word flu’ that causes a decay in language spreads, she is only left with the code-name given to her by her father: ‘Alice’, and so her journey down the proverbial rabbit hole begins…
For anybody that knows me I think it’s obvious why this book caught my eye: I really like dystopian novels, and the publishing industry – and so the future of print – is something I’m especially interested in. And this real and potential idea in our current society is handled so wonderfully in this novel.
The book was gripping from the beginning. Even the quotes in the preface set the scene further, along with the chapter headings of dictionary definitions. Moreover, the nature of dystopia means the reader is introduced to a new world and gradually learns more as it develops – such as the customs, traditions and laws – which I like.
Down the Rabbit Hole 