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Feb 26, 2019PimaLib_ChristineR rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Douglas Adams once wrote of Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged: "In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn’t cope with, and that terrible listlessness that starts to set in about 2:55, when you know you’ve taken all the baths that you can usefully take that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the newspaper you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul." - Life, the Universe and Everything. Wowbagger went on to his immortal life's work of insulting everyone in the universe, in alphabetical order. Shusterman takes his future humans in a slightly different direction, but one that still dwells on the question of creating a valuable life for an entire race that has entered the "long dark teatime of the soul." Citra and Rowan are chosen to become apprentice Scythes, those few humans who are not only above the law, but are the only ones who can make someone permanently die. In a bid to avoid overcrowding on earth, Scythes are charged with creating a permanent death for people who would otherwise live forever. Shusterman's future earth has people with regular jobs, regular families and regular schools, but some people "splat" for fun (throw themselves off tall buildings), and family dynamics often involve dealing with a grandmother who may look your own age, irritating your mother. Shusterman has combined a future utopian/dystopian novel containing excellent world building and strong characterization, with an intriguing mystery, and a helping of existential crisis. I would recommend this far beyond the YA crowd, to anyone who loves a great book with an original idea.