Recommended by Fintan Delaney
The Mandibles is about a family living in the United States in 2029 when suddenly, during a debt crisis, the country's economy collapses - a collapse which leads to the rise of a supra-national currency: gold. America is relegated from a global superpower to a failing state, and civilisation all but breaks down.
The book follows four generations of an American family, and the author explores what financial ruin looks like to those who have the most to lose from it. I found this an extremely interesting and dark novel about family relationship bonds when all seems to be falling apart around you, as well as the stress of stepping into the unknown and picking up the pieces of a broken society. I really liked this dystopian fiction for the way it portrays a unique view of what happens to the median of society, and how people react as the world collapses around them. The novel talks about people being stripped of their normality, and how they cope when their 'bubble like world' is taken away.
I also like the fact that the novel talks about the socio-economic changes that a society can suddenly go through, especially as this seems a plausible and almost a realistic event that could happen in the near future. I would recommend this novel to all people who like dystopian fiction, and simply enjoy a unique story, as it is a gripping read that explores a semi-realistic 'what if' of the near future.
