09. Matched, by Ally Condie.
The Amazon blurb:
For Cassia, nothing is left to chance–not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the “burden” of choice. When Cassia’s best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until she plugs in her Match microchip and a different boy’s face flashes on the screen. This improbable mistake sets Cassia on a dangerous path to the unthinkable–rebelling against the predetermined life Society has in store for her. As author Ally Condie’s unique dystopian Society takes chilling measures to maintain the status quo, Matched reminds readers that freedom of choice is precious, and not without sacrifice.–Seira Wilson
A new entry into the arena by newcomer Ally Condie, Matched is precisely the book I was hoping to read this year after reading the Hunger Games trilogy. This book is the other side of the story–in a dystopian society, a girl lives in a privileged four-person family unit and grows up with zero crime, zero unhappiness… or so she’s told. A seemingly perfect Society where the government Matches you to your future husband or wife based on genetics, psychology, and calculation for the “best of Society,” Matched had well-rounded characters, a convincing and unannoying love triangle (I can’t tell you how many annoying love triangles I’ve had to read this year in the name of 150 books a year), and fascinating, fantastic world-building.
It is, at some points, rather too straightforward and simplistic for my tastes, but that only means that it’s another book you can recommend to your younger relatives (say, age 10-14). It does however, touch upon serious issues about society, the media, the role of government, and the meaning of freedom. It seems almost a tongue-in-cheek commentary on modern American government’s emphasis on big government—issues like universal healthcare, the Patriot Act, and Wall Street bailouts come to mind when reading this novel.
All in all, an impressive debut novel for the dystopian YA sci-fi genre.