Name: 84k
ISBN: 9780356507378

Claire North

'AN EERILY PLAUSIBLE DYSTOPIAN MASTERPIECE' Emily St. John Mandel, author of STATION ELEVEN 'AN EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL . . . with echoes of The Handmaid's Tale' Cory Doctorow *CLAIRE NORTH SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES/PFD YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD* From one of the most original new voices in modern fiction comes a startling vision of a world where you can get away with anything . . . Theo Miller knows the value of human life - to the very last penny. Working in the Criminal Audit Office, he assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full. But when his ex-lover is killed, it's different. This is one death he can't let become merely an entry on a balance sheet. Because when the richest in the world are getting away with murder, sometimes the numbers just don't add up. From the award-winning Claire North comes an electrifying and provocative new novel which will resonate with readers around the world. Praise for 84K: 'Another captivating novel from one of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists' Booklist 'Claire North goes from strength to strength . . . A tense, moving story' Guardian 'Absolutely breath-taking... An early and compelling candidate for best novel of 2018' SciFi Magazine 'A dystopian anthem for the modern activist . . . 84K is an important book but also a cracking thriller . . . Quite simply, North's best book so far' Starburst 'North is an original and even dazzling writer' Kirkus 'North's talent shines out' Sunday Times

Liked the dystopian style, good insights about society but quite heavy and depressing story though. Last 1/5 of the book is quite long…

Barbara

Anna Marija

DNF; the writing style is very unique but did not do enough to capture my interest

Jeremy Cote

This book had the ingredients to be great. I love Claire North's books, and the premise was definitely interesting. However, the structure of the book and the execution was lacking for me. Like I said, I'm a huge fan of North's books, so I just want to emphasize that it was this book which didn't do it for me.

I had two main problems with the book. The first was that the timeline of the story never felt coherent to me. This is obviously subjective, but I had difficulty following the various threads. It made for a story in which I was never quite sure what was going on.

The second issue was the grammar. The book consciously made a choice to use a certain sentence structure, and it just didn't work for me. To give you an example, the story would talk about a character a place a feeling some motivation and a whole host of things that just kept on running on and on and on. If you cringed while reading through that last sentence, that's kind of what reading the book felt like. The sentences also start in the middle of the page at some points, and overall the execution didn't work for me. I think the story would be much improved if this was removed.

Overall, the book could be great, but I think there were a few decisions that I just couldn't accept in terms of the style of the book. This contributed to a lack of clarity for me, and I only finished it because I still thought the story itself had potential. Again, I don't want to come across as overly negative. The premise is quite interesting, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

Katheryn

'An eerily plausible dystopian masterpiece' Emily St John Mandel

Stefan Hansen

Kate Sigrist

From one of the most powerful writers in modern fiction comes a dystopian vision of a world where money reigns supreme, and nothing is so precious that it can't be bought.... The penalty for Dani Cumali's murder: £84,000. Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full. These days, there's no need to go to prison - provided that you can afford to pay the penalty for the crime you've committed. If you're rich enough, you can get away with murder. But Dani's murder is different. When Theo finds her lifeless body, and a hired killer standing over her and calmly calling the police to confess, he can't let her death become just an entry on a balance sheet. Someone is responsible. And Theo is going to find them and make them pay. Perfect for fans of speculative fiction such as The Handmaid's Tale and Never Let Me Go, Claire North's moving and unnerving new novel will resonate with readers around the world. Previous books by Claire North:The First Fifteen Lives of Harry AugustTouchThe Sudden Appearance of HopeThe End of the Day By the same author, writing as Kate Griffin: A Madness of Angels The Midnight Mayor The Neon Court The Minority Council The Glass God Stray Souls