Ahoy there me mateys!  I received an eArc of this sci-fi novella through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .

I wanted to read this near-futuristic novella because it deals with the topic of an Universal Basic Income ("UBI") in the United States.  The idea is that on January 15th, the U.S. government hands out the UBI payment to its citizens.  The novella follows four people who get their payments that day.

The author was clear in her forward that she would not get into the specifics of how the UBI was determined or how the programs worked and would focus on how it affected the characters.  I thought this was a sad choice especially given the research briefly mentioned.  I personally would have preferred a sci-fi work that dealt more with practicalities.  Though I get that a novella would make this hard.

But ultimately this was just an okay read.  It felt like a slice of life piece with no real point.  Was UBI good or bad?  I don't know.  How the UBI really impacted the character's lives was very lightly touched on.  It emotionally felt like UBI was being criticized for helping no one but with no real details.  So I don't actually know if that is what the author was trying to say. The complicated issue of UBI felt like a backdrop with no realism.  

Also, for me personally, I felt that the characters all felt very one-dimensional - not quite caricatures but close.  Pregnant teen cult member.  Mother dealing with domestic violence.  Bored rich college kid.  Activist turned journalist who is jaded about the policy she set into place.  The plot felt surface level because it takes place on one day and none of the plotlines resolve.

It was a quick read that I felt didn't do the topic justice even it I thought the concept was interesting.  Arrrr!