In 'Mania', we follow the events from 2011 - 2027, as Mental Parity is introduced in America. This is the idea that everyone has equal intelligence. Subsequently, what starts as words like 'stupid' and 'idiot' becoming slurs devolves into society unfolding - education is useless because you can no longer fail a test, surgeries go wrong because doctors don't know what they're doing, and politicians are chosen specifically for their stupidity.
On the very first page, I read the sentence 'Yet his customary containment had a combustible quality reminiscent of my own demeanor when seething silently through Family Worship Evening' and thought to myself that the word choice seemed unnecessarily complex. I quickly realised that that was the point. The book is written from the perspective of Pearson Converse (what a name!) and is supposed to be her memoir, so it reflects the character's purposeful attempt to not simplify her language.
I enjoyed that the book frequently referenced real life events, such as terrorist attacks, Covid and even Brexit, but I have to admit that it was unnerving to read about Joe Biden being elected as President in this fictional world because of his style of speech and mannerisms making him appear really stupid, which eerily echoes what a lot of people are concerned about at the moment.
The book finishes in 2027, with a chapter on where the Mental Parity situation ends up. I felt like this was a good representation of how politics goes, and Emory was an excellent character for showing how people go along with the political ideas of the majority without necessarily thinking for themselves.
On the very first page, I read the sentence 'Yet his customary containment had a combustible quality reminiscent of my own demeanor when seething silently through Family Worship Evening' and thought to myself that the word choice seemed unnecessarily complex. I quickly realised that that was the point. The book is written from the perspective of Pearson Converse (what a name!) and is supposed to be her memoir, so it reflects the character's purposeful attempt to not simplify her language.
I enjoyed that the book frequently referenced real life events, such as terrorist attacks, Covid and even Brexit, but I have to admit that it was unnerving to read about Joe Biden being elected as President in this fictional world because of his style of speech and mannerisms making him appear really stupid, which eerily echoes what a lot of people are concerned about at the moment.
The book finishes in 2027, with a chapter on where the Mental Parity situation ends up. I felt like this was a good representation of how politics goes, and Emory was an excellent character for showing how people go along with the political ideas of the majority without necessarily thinking for themselves.