The Resisters

November 18, 2019
A prodigious young athlete fights the oppression and poverty of her social class in this shrewd and provocative near-future novel from Jen (World and Town). In AutoAmerica, the Netted rule over an underclass called the Surplus, who receive Basic Income but aren’t allowed to work and are denied basic human rights. Seventeen-year-old Gwen, a member of the Surplus and a star player in the Underground Baseball League, is tired of her oppressive life and wants to rise to the Netted class. She gets her chance when the Netted recruit her to help beat ChinRussia. Gwen faces a crisis of conscience as she looks back on those she would leave behind, including her friend Ondi, once banished for a month for sharing forbidden content on the internet, and her father, Grant (also the narrator), who intersperses anecdotes of brutal punishments faced by fellow members of their rank throughout. By placing the narration in Grant’s measured, ironic voice, Jen shows how the Netted accomplished their subtle, Huxleyian takeover through bigotry and technology. While some of Jen’s fans might miss the overt humor of her previous work, her intelligence and control shine through in a chilling portrait of the casual acceptance of totalitarianism.

William DeMeritt narrates this story set in a dystopian future in which the power elites rule "surplus" people of color. The plot revolves around baseball. Grant, a former teacher; Eleanor, his wife; and their mixed-race daughter, Gwen, are key characters. DeMeritt shifts between a low pitch and slow pace for Grant and higher, clipped voices for the younger characters. But it's with the mechanical voice of the "auto" house that DeMeritt shines, sounding, appropriately, like a robot. Gwen's ability as a pitcher catches the eye of the ruling class, who want her to play for Auto America's college team. Baseball gives a sense of identity to the characters as DeMeritt keeps things moving in this quietly chilling story. M.B. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine