Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky, an amazing debut dystopian teen novel that will get you thinking about how life could look like in about 50 years…

Awaken, an amazing debut dystopian teen novel that will get you thinking about how life could look like in about 50 years…

Okay, to be honest here, I read this book back in December 2010 in like one day. And for me to finish a book in one day, well it has to be good. So yeah, this book was pretty great and kept me entertained all the time. I can’t wait to read more novels by this author! Very much looking forward to what’s going to happen next. I really hope there will be a next novel.

Now, it’s been at least 3 months since I finished this one, but due to lack of time, I didn’t have the chance to write a proper review. I’m sick at home right this moment and finally have some time to write a decent review. But because it’s been so long, I might have some facts wrong. Please forgive me for that. Thank you goodreads for the awesome reviews though, they helped me writing this one.

Well this book is set in the 2060’s where everything has been digitalized, whether it’s dating, going to school or interact with friends. ‘Real life’ contact has become very rare. Our main character is Maddie, whose father invented Digital School. Digital School became a real hit after some incidents at regular schools. Maddie is quite okay with this all, until she meets Justin. Justin convinces her to come to a ‘real’ tutor class and Maddie is immediately impressed by him and what he represents. She’s intrigued and from there on the adventure really starts…

Reading this book made me realize how much our lives have changed over the past couple of years and how much more it could change. It frightens me to know what might happen to our ‘social’ life in a few years time. We really are in a era where people have thousands of friends on line. Nearly everyone has Facebook or another social network site where they stay in touch with their family and ‘friends’. I do wonder how many of those friends you actually have met and catch up on face to face. I’m not saying technology is bad, because it has its perks. I’m just saying that I’m afraid people will end up in social desolation…

Anyway, I loved this book and I loved the interaction between Maddie and Justin. I think Maddie is a great character with a mind of her own and I really liked that about her. I really enjoyed Justin too, but what bothered me a bit was his angst to get close to someone. I mean, what was that all about? He promotes social contact, but he’s afraid to get close to anyone because of the ‘job’ he does. Okay, I get why, but everyone needs someone and this way he’ll just end up alone. That’s not better than the digital life he despises so much. I hope that in the next book (and please let there be a next one!) he’ll come to his senses.

It took me a few pages to really get ‘into’ the book, but I’m glad I pushed on reading, because it was definitely worth my time. The entire setting just kind of crept me out, as the possibilities of such a world aren’t too foreign for me. I could really see something similar happening in the near future. I do hope I’m wrong though, because it would be such a shame to live in a world where social contact is rare instead of the norm.

Awaken is a debut novel that will make you think about life now and what the future may hold. It handles issues like friendship, social life, family, love and where technology could lead us to. I recommend this book to everyone, especially teens that love a good dystopian novel with not too much fantasy woven into it. As I think this book might be one of the possibilities in the future…

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Katie Kacvinsky: Awaken, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, hardcover 352 p., expected publication date May 23rd 2011

Carmen Belgium
3 April 2011