Dystopian, sci-fi novels are not my go-to genre, but the premise of this twist-filled stunner immediately hooked me. The island of Prospera has been carefully curated so that's it's inhabited by artsy, cultured people living their best lives. Each has a monitor in their arm that tracks their physical and mental capabilities. When these decline, their number gets too low and they're "retired" and rebooted--their memories wiped and their essence put into a new, younger body to live another life. Next to Prospera is The Annex, land inhabited by the "working class" people who serve the Prosperians. Proctor Bennett is a Prospering ferryman, who's responsible for shepherding soon-to-be retired Prosperians to The Nursery, where their reboot begins. The trouble really begins when Proctor has to accompany his own father to the ferry AND his monitor numbers are dropping low really, really fast.

Once this story takes off, the action and twists are non-stop. Cronin's world-building has a lot of moving pieces, but it's impressive in its intricacy and cleverness. The characterization is rich, too. What I really loved about this novel was how Cronin spoke to the environmental and societal issues I see (and worry about!) through the story. How he imagines things will "work out," is compelling and rooted in some real-life ideas. Yet, like with life itself and the challenges and dangers we see today, there's that ever-resilient thread of hope and humanity weaving through.

If you're a sci-fi/dystopian fan--and especially if you're not!--give this one a go. It's a long one, so I read parts and listened to the terrific audiobook. But either way, it's an intriguing and inspiring tale of how humans might respond when natural forces inevitably react to our neglect.