Egmont and Net Galley allowed me to download an ebook of this story to read for review (thank you). It was published in July, so you can find a copy at your local bookstore now.
Everybody wants to be thin, just like in our world today. They find if they drink SlimPro, a bottled water with vegetable protein, they lose weight. Soon the number of people drinking it exceeds the source and new contracts are let. As time goes on, it's no longer vegetable protein but protein from animal "waste"; products not used by meat distributors. And soon, it creates a unique disease in those who are drinking it: It eats part of their brain...
When people suddenly start going nuts, the government acts. At first, they're killed. Then they are lobotomized. Then they are collared. The collar has the power to kill them if they get aggressive.
This is the world that Velvet and her little sister live in. The thought of it makes me shudder. If Velvet's life wasn't difficult before, when she reclaims her mother and takes her home it gets worse. Her landlord evicts them, she loses her job, her boyfriend dumps her and she has to find a new place to live.
I don't know if I'd want to reclaim someone who had survived such a disease. They require physical care, can't speak, and do only what they are told. And now the government is entering another phase, where they are taking away anyone who is the wearing the collar...
This is a suspenseful, stressful story that points out how basic and mean some people can get and how some stay nice and do good even when the worst has happened. It also shows how Velvet deals with problems most adults can't handle.
The story made me think, but it ends with hope. All is not lost. I'll be interested to see if this author plans a sequel. I'd read it to see how Velvet does in the future.
Happy reading.
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