A review by steph_84
Factory 19 by Dennis Glover

4.0

Factory 19 is essentially a thought-experiment in the format of a novel. I say that because it’s an intriguing idea, but I feel like the characters are forced into doing particular things so that the plot plays out in a particular way, rather than the story being led by the characters themselves. Many events are similarly-unrealistically squashed into place: a factory designed for making cars and cravats suddenly manufactures trucks and tomato soup at a week’s notice; a senior Prime Ministerial staffer only has political nous when it suits the storyline; and a Gen Y character was “raised by an iPad” even though iPads weren’t available until 2010...?!

Nonetheless, it’s an entertaining and discussion-worthy thought experiment. I’m hoping some of my friends will read this book so that we can argue about what Factory 19 really says about human nature and the inevitability of the future.