2013 book 197

Jenni Fagan's The Panopticon
So, this book is about teenager Anais, who's grown up in a series of foster homes, and who's now being escorted to a juvenile facility after an attack on a policewoman. I'm being completely honest when I say that, for a large portion of this book, I wasn't sure if I was reading a very-near-future dystopia or a depressing book about a drugged-out British girl (like Trainspotting or something). I think I finally decided it was the latter, despite Anais' assertions that she's part of an experiment, because most of the story involves her experiences in the home and with the other teenagers there. Also note that, although there are a lot of teenagers, this is NOT a YA book. It is dark as hell. It's one of those books that I recognize is good (it won a bunch of awards in England), and I think there are a lot of people who will really like it, but I personally found so upsetting that I almost wish I hadn't read it. B.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on July 23.