Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian
Author of the New York Times bestselling Testing trilogy Joelle Charbonneau returns with a breathless new duology that will capture fans of Neal Shusterman’s Scythe series and leave readers questioning everything they once believed to be true.
Meri Beckley lives in a world without lies. When she looks at the peaceful Chicago streets, she shares in the pride that everyone in the country feels about the era of unprecedent hope and prosperity over which the government presides.
But when Meri’s mother is killed, Meri suddenly has questions that no one else seems to be asking. And when she tries to uncover her mother’s state of mind in her last weeks, she finds herself drawn into a secret world full of facts she’s never heard and a history she didn’t know existed.
Suddenly, Meri is faced with a choice between accepting the “truth” she has been taught or embracing a world the government doesn’t want anyone to see—where words have the power to change the course of a nation and where the wrong one could get Meri killed.
Verify is the first installment in author Joelle Charbonneau's Verify duology. This is a series that may legitimately be compared to Fahrenheit 451, and Orwell's 1984. 16-year old Merriel (Meri) Beckley hasn't been the same since her mother died. She hasn't applied for the City Art Program which is one of Chicago's most desired places to work. Her father started drinking heavily, and on top of all of that, Meri witnesses someone being arrested for having a piece of paper which sends her on a quest for answers which leads to more than she could ever hope to imagine.
In this world, approval is necessary in order to leave the country. English has been designated as the main language of the country. Crime has been obliterated. Homelessness is not an issue. All communications are done electronically. Meri believes everything she
hears on the three TV channels that have been provided by the
government. No more 200+ channels! Paper has
become obsolete as there was a fight to recycle and keep the planet
clean. A National buy back of all paper products, including books, is mandatory,
and if you are caught with paper, you can be arrested, or disappeared from
society entirely.
While trying to solve the puzzle of the painting that her mom left
unfinished after she had her accident, Meri stumbles upon a mystery. A piece of paper is handed to her with a word Verify on it. When she tries to look it up at her school, there are no articles, but weirder
still-- an alarm sounds and people start acting strangely. Soon thereafter, Meri finds herself caught up with Atlas & the Stewards, a rebel group that seeks
to preserve the history of the United States that the government has
erased by maintaining paper books and records. She learns that
everything she knew was based on a lie created by the government when
they deleted certain words as society went paperless and ignorant. She even begins to question the truth about what really happened to her mother. Was it really an accident, or something even more shocking?
Joelle Charbonneau has created a world where more “undesirable” citizens just disappear, the less palatable
parts of world history are now forgotten and powerful words just
disappear from everyone’s vocabulary. I am one of those who thought the ending was rather abrupt, but it was also the best part of the entire book. There are parts that drag, and then there are parts that have enough action and a curious possible romantic connection between Atlas and Meri as well as the silent but steady friendship of Meri's best friend Rose.
The second and final installment in this series, Disclose, will pub fall ’20.
interesting cover and i do like a good dystopian novel. i wonder what the government is trying to hide. deleted certain words....hmmm. i wonder what those words are. you have me very curious
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental