cover image Regenerate

Regenerate

Emily Goldthwaite. Rainfly, $14.99 paper (330p) ISBN 978-1-73306-880-2

Goldthwaite’s engaging, if didactic, debut—a dystopian romance concerned with social engineering, Panopticon tactics, and government-sanctioned “neuropathic disruptors”—explores the value of human interaction. Like her friends, Averielle Gouch, 17, is a GAP (Grandparent Adopted Posterity), one of the lucky children who has survived their Lost parents—a generation too addicted to tech for child rearing. Heralded as preservers of the human race, the GAPs have their lives planned and tracked by nebulous Organizers. Averi has been predicted to enter into a relationship with Raxtin North, her best friend, and everything seems to be going to plan, until transfer Lander Lazarus Finch appears in Averi’s social circle. Despite Lander’s cockiness, there’s something about him that draws Averi’s affections. As Averi grows closer to Lander, the Organizers decide to reunite her with a long-lost Gran, Jo, outside their village walls. But Lander and Jo know too much about their cosseted world, and it’s darker than it appears. Though the dystopian framework and characters are familiar, the pacing is quick, and Goldthwaite succeeds in highlighting issues with tech dependence and societal commodification amid a story of compassion and friendship. Ages 13–up. (Self-published)