The Girl in a Cafe

Lots of my friends have been asking me recently why I am so attracted to dystopian or post apocalyptic novels. I was thinking long and hard about it, and at the same time I just happened to be reading The Glimpse (squeeee!), the debut novel from Claire Merle. That's when I realized that books like The Glimpse is why I read dystopian fiction.Set in a future London, Ana finds out that she's been lied to - she's not a Pure, like she thought, but a Sleeper, not quite free of any genetic illness, and almost finds herself outside of the Community, with the people she's been taught to know as the Crazies. She's been promised to Jasper, the son of a wealthy and influential man. The authorities decide that as long as Ana is bound to Jasper by her 18th birthday, then she can stay within the Community. Then Jasper goes missing right after their initial Binding, and Ana's determined to find him, even if it means heading outside of the Community and into the harsh reality that is the world, which is full of secrets that were meant to be kept hidden.I cannot get over the fact how much I absolutely LOVED this book. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to scream out, "See? I told you so! I knew it was good!" I'd been waiting for The Glimpse since I first heard of it, and nearly died when Claire let me have an early e-copy of the book. Luckily I didn't otherwise I wouldn't have been able to read the awesomeness that is this book. Okay, pause gushing for a while. Why should you read this book?I've heard a lot of people say that they don't want to even read the first page after hearing that mental illness is a big part of this book. Which it is. And it's actually a part of it that I loved. What made this book different from all the other dystopian YA fiction out there is the fact that Claire takes a real life issue - one that is prevalent in today's society and projects it into the future. Who's not to say that in the future genetics won't be a catalyst for the way society is shaped? The Glimpse focuses on how Ana, who has grown up as a Pure, learns about what is outside of the sheltered world she's grown up in. It also shows how indoctrine and ideals of a government can be forced upon people - and how easily we'll accept it as true. If the higher powers say it is, then what's to say it's not? And this is what Ana is learning. It's her development, and quite frankly, I find it all a bit too close to home. Ana is a character that I fell in love with straight away. She's a no nonsense kind of girl, and she's ruled by both her heart and her head, which makes it hard for her to choose between what she's always known, and what she knows is right. She's strong, but at the same time she will do as she's told - as we find out in the beginning - but then sometimes, you just have to let go and follow your heart, which is what she does. And then there's Cole. Oh Cole, you reached out of my computer screen, grabbed my heart and twisted it. I fell, and I fell hard. That is all.I've often read books that I must totally read right now otherwise I will explode and die and then how is the author going to explain that one, huh? and they turn out to be somewhat disappointing because of all the hype you've been building up over it. But The Glimpse did not disappoint AT ALL! Fast paced, full of action, this was one book that left me hanging on to every word. Just as soon as you've figured it all out, one of the characters jumps out and whacks the book over your head and says "Ha! Fooled you! Keep on guessing sucka!" Actually, not really, but you get the drift. So if you know what's good for you, then get this book. It will change everything you've ever thought about the future. A wonderfully breathtaking read that will scare the pants off you at how realistic it is.