"You know, when you live in a time of progress, it seems that progress is the only possible way. The idea that everything we'd gained, all of those hard-won rights, could be taken away from us, and that open minds could be closed again? But then the Outrage happened." Welcome to England, where the Protectorate enforces the Public Good. Here, there are rules for everything - what to eat, what to wear, what to do, what to say, what to read, what to think, who to obey, who to hate, who to love. Your safety is assured, so long as you follow the rules. Gabriel is a natural born rule-breaker. And his biggest crime of all? Being gay. Gabriel knows his sexuality must be kept secret from all but his closest friends, not only to protect himself, but to protect his boyfriend. Because Eric isn't just the boy who has stolen Gabriel's heart. He's the son of the chief inspector at Degenerate Investigations - the man who poses the single biggest threat to Gabriel's life. And the Protectorate are experts at exposing secrets.
Publication Year: 2021
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0This is a book about hope, fear, love, loss, and resistance. Taking place in the UK, in a future that has been tarnished by hate, homosexuality has been deemed illegal once more, and people have been empowered to hate openly. The country has cut itself off from the rest of the world, claiming that racial purification is for the good of the people, that filth - as they see it - should be dealt with via re-education, torture, and death for the greater good.
Obviously, this book is filled with terrifying rhetoric, and shows that the fight for equality is not over, as rights can be slowly and methodically striped if there's no one to stand up and fight for them. Through hidden illegal films, this group of rebels comes to strengthen what they know in their hearts - they are fine and good, and society that seeks to deny them their humanity needs to be fought.
Keep fighting, keep loving, keep hoping for a better tomorrow.
0This book upset me, lifted me up, utterly broke me, and made me cry. It was beautiful, horrible, and very well-written. There was a secret that I felt like I saw coming for a long time, but in a way that felt like there was just enough given that you'd see it if you were looking for it, rather than being painfully predictable. While some plot points were to be expected, a lot of it kept me on the edge of my seat, hoping for the best outcomes and dreading the worst.
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