This book infuriated me and made me cringe in all the best ways. Set in a not so distant future where chips and predictive technology can be implanted in one’s brain that may determine whether someone might commit a crime. The story blends the chilling mixture of Minority Report with the oppressive atmosphere of The Handmaid’s Tale. 

This story follows a newly mother of twins, Sara, whose brain scores have come back at a dangerous level, she's then abruptly detained and thrown into a detention center with no hope of release.

As the narrative unfolds, it paints a stark and unsettling picture of a world where every action is monitored and technology is idolized as the solution to human problems. The characters are forced to confront the horror of being punished for crimes they haven’t committed, and might never commit. 

Lalami doesn’t hold back in exploring what such a future would look like, especially for those who are marginalized, discriminated against, and stripped of their rights. 

Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say I had a growing suspicion that this story would lean into the idea that such control and punishment were specifically targeted at women. And while the ending didn’t take the turn I was expecting, it did dive deep into the psychological toll such a system would inflict. It forces readers to ask themselves….. 

In a world that teaches women to be obedient, would you submit, or would you fight for what you know is right, in whatever way you can?

*Thank you to Laila Lalami, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.