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A review by introverted_reads
Poster Girl by Veronica Roth
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4 stars
ARC provided by publisher on NetGalley for an honest review
“He called them criminals… but all I could see was desperation.”
Poster Girl, Veronica Roth’s new dystopian novel, is very reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984 with its overarching themes of government surveillance, and even a morality system echoing ideas of Thoughtcrime. After the collapse of the Delegation dictatorship, Sonya Kantor and the other sweethearts of the Delegation are locked in the Aperture, facing a life sentence for their political crimes. Roth questions what happens after the collapse of a dystopian government, what happens to the loyalists, what happens to the children of the dictatorship.
“You can’t be both the pretty Delegation princess and the hardened prisoner of the Aperture at the same time.”
Sonya Kantor, the poster girl and face of the Delegation, narrowly misses the cutoff of the mercies of the Children of the Delegation Act - held responsible for the crimes of her family, and the loyalty she was indoctrinated to hold. However, Sonya is offered a chance of freedom by the Triumvirate - find Grace Ward, the second child of the Ward’s taken by the Delegation, and earn her freedom. However, in her investigation into Grace Ward, Sonya uncovers the unsavoury truth about her family and the regime she was told was right, and is forced to question her upbringing and the world she thought she knew.
“It’s all been downplayed by government officials, but those who know, know… And I always know.”
Whilst being an entertaining read in itself, Roth’s Poster Girl also offers a commentary on contemporary issues of technology, genetic engineering and morality. Technology is a fundamental part of the Delegation, and Roth questions how far can we take technology, highlighting the privacy sacrificed for the sake of convenience. It’s very easy to notice the similarities between the Insights of the Delegation, monitoring every purchase, movement, interaction and thought, and the technology that dominates modern society - phones, laptops, Alexa etcetera. Roth also comments on the interaction between technology and human development, echoing body architect Lucy McRae in the exploration of fusing the synthetic with the organic, and questioning what this means for the development and evolution of humanity.
“All of life, an endless series of columns, this versus that, action versus inaction. It’s all subjective. It’s all math.”
What really stood out for me, was the capitalisation of morality, and the construction of the morality system within the Delegation. Morality under the Delegation is dictated by human choice, the government decide what is right, and what is wrong. Roth uses Poster Girl to question what is morality, exploring a system reminiscent of Emotivism. Roth takes a non-cognitivist stance on ethics and morality, highlighting the subjectivity of morality dependent on culture. It was this commentary on ethics which really drew me into Poster Girl, morality is dependent on behaviour rather than intention under the Delegation, and this distinct divide between the law and what is right, highlights the questions still being asked in contemporary political climates; is the law always right?
Poster Girl is a dark novel which comments on human desperation, hopelessness, technology, and government and politics. It is both a captivating novel which I’m sure many will enjoy reading, and an artistic political allegory which focuses on contemporary issues. I only wish it were longer; the 280 pages feels insufficient to truly analyse and discuss the political issues raised within the novel, there are really thought provoking ideas raised, but these aren’t really expanded upon sufficiently. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Poster Girl is a highly enjoyable, and considered dystopian novel.
Quotes taken from e-ARC provided through NetGalley and may change in final published work
ARC provided by publisher on NetGalley for an honest review
“He called them criminals… but all I could see was desperation.”
Poster Girl, Veronica Roth’s new dystopian novel, is very reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984 with its overarching themes of government surveillance, and even a morality system echoing ideas of Thoughtcrime. After the collapse of the Delegation dictatorship, Sonya Kantor and the other sweethearts of the Delegation are locked in the Aperture, facing a life sentence for their political crimes. Roth questions what happens after the collapse of a dystopian government, what happens to the loyalists, what happens to the children of the dictatorship.
“You can’t be both the pretty Delegation princess and the hardened prisoner of the Aperture at the same time.”
Sonya Kantor, the poster girl and face of the Delegation, narrowly misses the cutoff of the mercies of the Children of the Delegation Act - held responsible for the crimes of her family, and the loyalty she was indoctrinated to hold. However, Sonya is offered a chance of freedom by the Triumvirate - find Grace Ward, the second child of the Ward’s taken by the Delegation, and earn her freedom. However, in her investigation into Grace Ward, Sonya uncovers the unsavoury truth about her family and the regime she was told was right, and is forced to question her upbringing and the world she thought she knew.
“It’s all been downplayed by government officials, but those who know, know… And I always know.”
Whilst being an entertaining read in itself, Roth’s Poster Girl also offers a commentary on contemporary issues of technology, genetic engineering and morality. Technology is a fundamental part of the Delegation, and Roth questions how far can we take technology, highlighting the privacy sacrificed for the sake of convenience. It’s very easy to notice the similarities between the Insights of the Delegation, monitoring every purchase, movement, interaction and thought, and the technology that dominates modern society - phones, laptops, Alexa etcetera. Roth also comments on the interaction between technology and human development, echoing body architect Lucy McRae in the exploration of fusing the synthetic with the organic, and questioning what this means for the development and evolution of humanity.
“All of life, an endless series of columns, this versus that, action versus inaction. It’s all subjective. It’s all math.”
What really stood out for me, was the capitalisation of morality, and the construction of the morality system within the Delegation. Morality under the Delegation is dictated by human choice, the government decide what is right, and what is wrong. Roth uses Poster Girl to question what is morality, exploring a system reminiscent of Emotivism. Roth takes a non-cognitivist stance on ethics and morality, highlighting the subjectivity of morality dependent on culture. It was this commentary on ethics which really drew me into Poster Girl, morality is dependent on behaviour rather than intention under the Delegation, and this distinct divide between the law and what is right, highlights the questions still being asked in contemporary political climates; is the law always right?
Poster Girl is a dark novel which comments on human desperation, hopelessness, technology, and government and politics. It is both a captivating novel which I’m sure many will enjoy reading, and an artistic political allegory which focuses on contemporary issues. I only wish it were longer; the 280 pages feels insufficient to truly analyse and discuss the political issues raised within the novel, there are really thought provoking ideas raised, but these aren’t really expanded upon sufficiently. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Poster Girl is a highly enjoyable, and considered dystopian novel.
Quotes taken from e-ARC provided through NetGalley and may change in final published work
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Murder, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts