Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s new elite schools.
Her daughters are exactly like her: beautiful, ambitious, and perfect. A good thing, since the recent mandate that’s swept the country is all about perfection. Now everyone must undergo routine tests for their quotient, Q, and any children who don’t measure up are placed into new government schools.
Instead, teachers can focus on the gifted. Elena tells herself it’s not about eugenics, not really, but when one of her daughters scores lower than expected and is taken away, she intentionally fails her own test to go with her.
But what Elena discovers is far more terrifying than she ever imagined…
Her daughters are exactly like her: beautiful, ambitious, and perfect. A good thing, since the recent mandate that’s swept the country is all about perfection. Now everyone must undergo routine tests for their quotient, Q, and any children who don’t measure up are placed into new government schools.
Instead, teachers can focus on the gifted. Elena tells herself it’s not about eugenics, not really, but when one of her daughters scores lower than expected and is taken away, she intentionally fails her own test to go with her.
But what Elena discovers is far more terrifying than she ever imagined…
Its been the longest time since i read anything like this, i think the last thing that i read that was slightly dystopian and enjoyed was hunger games when it first came out. Its a genre i enjoy but i find more often that not, its not done right..like i wanted to adore Divergent but it was too far fetched this however, this is like something out of black mirror and certainly appealed to me as a more adult reader.
Elena is a teacher at a silver school - silver schools are the best, the students with the best Q go there however it is a constant battle to stay at the top with monthly tests. If you fail a monthly test, you are moving down. The worst place to be though is a yellow school - those at yellow schools are taken away. When Elenas youngest daughter is taken to a yellow school she finds a way to go with her and discover what is actually happening. Much to her husbands dismay.
With a husband like Malcolm though - you really dont need enemies. I dont think i have ever disliked a character as much as Malcolm. Elena and Malcolm have been together years and he seems to have taken the inital colour coding system idea and ran away with it. He is high up in the department of education and really understands the importance of Q. He sees the world completely differently to Elena and he is the most horrific character - well combined with his friend Alex.
Q - is a brilliantly, gripping and disturbing read because it's actually believable and that is what worries me as a reader, that society could become that way. It takes aspects of history and uses them for the future. I found the end mostly horrific. I found sometimes the reading felt slightly younger and there was bits i would of liked more depth adding too certain parts, and some things felt more glossed over and other bits too in depth.
However - this read gripped me, with its compelling story line, unique characters and a society that was heading towards the worst its ever been in pursuit of been the best its ever been. This book was well worth a read. I read it for the #OWLsreadathon and it was for a book out of my genre and i am glad that i did.
This copy came from netgalley and i am willingly sharing my review.
If you would like to read this, you can pick up a copy here
Christina Dalcher earned her doctorate in theoretical linguistics from Georgetown University. She specialized in the phonetics of sound change in Italian and British dialects and taught at universities in the United States, England, and the United Arab Emirates.
Her short stories and flash fiction appear in over one hundred journals worldwide. Recognitions include first prize in the Bath Flash Fiction Award as well as nominations for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions.
Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency represents Dalcher’s novels.
After spending several years abroad, most recently in Sri Lanka, Dalcher and her husband now split their time between the American South and Andalucia, Spain.
If you would like to read this, you can pick up a copy here
Christina Dalcher earned her doctorate in theoretical linguistics from Georgetown University. She specialized in the phonetics of sound change in Italian and British dialects and taught at universities in the United States, England, and the United Arab Emirates.
Her short stories and flash fiction appear in over one hundred journals worldwide. Recognitions include first prize in the Bath Flash Fiction Award as well as nominations for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions.
Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency represents Dalcher’s novels.
After spending several years abroad, most recently in Sri Lanka, Dalcher and her husband now split their time between the American South and Andalucia, Spain.
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