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Matched - Ally Condie
Jan. 11th, 2012 07:46 pmTitle: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Book 1 of trilogy. Second book (Crossed) is out in hardcover.
Categories: YA, dystopia, romance, self-discovery, poetry, series
Other works by Ally Condie: Freshman For President, Being Sixteen, The Yearbook Trilogy (Yearbook, First Day, Reunion)
If you are looking for an action-packed dystopian adventure a la The Hunger Games series, this is definitely not the book for you. Matched is a completely different kind of dystopian story--one in which the masses sacrifice choice for security and comfort. Unlike Katniss' world, in which violence and poverty keep the populous in check, Cassia's world is one of carefully parceled-out privileges and comfortable, predictable futures. The Officials and the government choose everything--your job, your meals, your spouse. Cassia has been waiting to be Matched all her life, and the book opens on the evening of her Match banquet, which she is attending with her family and her best friend Xander.
But Cassia, under the influence of her grandfather and the words of Dylan Thomas, begins to question the way the Society does things as she falls in love with Ky Markham. Ky is an Abberation: he cannot be matched, and he is denied many of the privileges that Cassia enjoys. Yet Ky has many things that Cassia had not expected, and as they share poetry and the limited exploration of their hiking activity, Cassia starts to finally think for herself and discovers both the boons and perils of making your own choices.
Condie's writing is well-suited to the world she has created and to Cassia. Still, I think that for many readers, Matched would drag if they jumped into it unprepared, especially expecting a more active novel. That said, I think Matched explores some very interesting themes about choice, growing up, love, and ethics. I enjoyed it more than I had expected, and I think people who give it a chance will come away glad they have read it. It gives you a new appreciation for the luxury of choice and how we can fall or fly, but only by our own power.
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Book 1 of trilogy. Second book (Crossed) is out in hardcover.
Categories: YA, dystopia, romance, self-discovery, poetry, series
Other works by Ally Condie: Freshman For President, Being Sixteen, The Yearbook Trilogy (Yearbook, First Day, Reunion)
If you are looking for an action-packed dystopian adventure a la The Hunger Games series, this is definitely not the book for you. Matched is a completely different kind of dystopian story--one in which the masses sacrifice choice for security and comfort. Unlike Katniss' world, in which violence and poverty keep the populous in check, Cassia's world is one of carefully parceled-out privileges and comfortable, predictable futures. The Officials and the government choose everything--your job, your meals, your spouse. Cassia has been waiting to be Matched all her life, and the book opens on the evening of her Match banquet, which she is attending with her family and her best friend Xander.
But Cassia, under the influence of her grandfather and the words of Dylan Thomas, begins to question the way the Society does things as she falls in love with Ky Markham. Ky is an Abberation: he cannot be matched, and he is denied many of the privileges that Cassia enjoys. Yet Ky has many things that Cassia had not expected, and as they share poetry and the limited exploration of their hiking activity, Cassia starts to finally think for herself and discovers both the boons and perils of making your own choices.
Condie's writing is well-suited to the world she has created and to Cassia. Still, I think that for many readers, Matched would drag if they jumped into it unprepared, especially expecting a more active novel. That said, I think Matched explores some very interesting themes about choice, growing up, love, and ethics. I enjoyed it more than I had expected, and I think people who give it a chance will come away glad they have read it. It gives you a new appreciation for the luxury of choice and how we can fall or fly, but only by our own power.
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