Wednesday Reads: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie is everything I love about dystopian fiction.

Synopsis: (from Amazon)

For Cassia, nothing is left to chance--not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the "burden" of choice. When Cassia's best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until she plugs in her Match microchip and a different boy’s face flashes on the screen. This improbable mistake sets Cassia on a dangerous path to the unthinkable--rebelling against the predetermined life Society has in store for her.

First Sentence: "Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?" This is Cassia's imagination at work. The first paragraph, of her making things up in her mind, isn't that telling. It's the whole first page that is though. Sample: "I smile at myself, at the foolishness of my imagination. People cannot fly, though before the Society, there were myths about those who could. I saw a painting of them once. White wings, blue sky, gold circles above their heads..."

Brownie Points: If you want a lesson in how to construct the perfect plot, character arch, opening, closing, surprise, world building, then this is definitely the book to do it with. It's almost flawlessly crafted.

Ending: Open ended enough for another book, but if you never read another one, you'd be satisfied enough.

Recommendation: Read it.

Would I represent it? Oh yes.

Happy Reading!