My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC! 

The Mark is an interesting little dystopian out of Iceland where citizens are gearing up to vote on whether or not an empathy test should be mandatory for all citizens. This test exposes antisocial patterns and behaviours, with the idea that they can provide help and support to those who fail the test, in an attempt to stop crimes before they happen. But tensions rise as the demands surrounding the test get higher and higher, and the referendum looms.

.

I do enjoy a multi-POV novel, especially for books like this where there are a lot of different attitudes and perspectives to explore. Here we have Vetur, a young woman temping as a teacher and recovering from a bad experience with an ex-turned-stalker; Tristan, a young addict in a precarious social position; Eyja, a recently divorced woman intent on petty revenge; and Ólafur, who is campaigning for the Mark to be made mandatory. Their stories intersect as society becomes torn over whether to force everyone to take the test and have their results be publicly visible.

.

This book works well because it’s one of those (ever more common) dystopias that feel not too far off being a reality. The Test is something supposedly engineered with good intentions, hoping to help people who fail it, but as with lots of things the reality gets twisted. People claim they don’t want to stigmatise test failures - instead it should be treated as something akin to a vitamin deficiency, something to be worked on. So then why do people who do fail the test find themselves increasingly ostracised and even punished?

.

Vetur and Tristan’s POVs did overshadow the others a bit, but it’s a quick and thought-provoking read! It’s translated by Larissa Kyzer and the writing is smooth with some great lines - one woman is described as throwing people away once ‘she’d gnawed the fantasy of a person down to the quick’ and I just loved that.