Book Review by Brianna

Eve of Man book coverEve of Man, by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher, sets readers up to think it will be a teenaged version of The Bachelorette: When females suddenly stop being born, Eve is the only baby girl of her generation. She is protected in a high tower, and when she turns sixteen must choose between three Potential husbands, specially picked for their perfect genetic compatibility with her. But as Eve slowly realizes that her life is built on lies, she falls for someone else - Bram, one of three “pilots” tasked with pretending to be Holly, Eve’s virtual confidant and friend.

There are two separate worlds to explore: a real, flooded city, fraught with discontent and danger, and Eve’s Dome; a manufactured fantasy. Eve can only learn about the real world through guesses and implication. She is shown realistically and logically musing that her education could easily be the result of historical revisionism, even before she’s presented with any evidence. She says of the books she’s given, “I know they hold some back from me, because most of the ones I’ve read were written hundreds of years ago - I’ve made a note of their publication dates.” Bram lives outside her Dome but still in the tower, and he starts his journey by passively observing protesters demanding that Eve be freed - called Freevers - and remarking that they “will fail.” Their journeys of repression, disillusion, and hope could make even the most mild-mannered and obedient teenager (by which I mean me, haha) cheer every spark of rebellion.

Eve and Bram represent a natural, loving couple, and are contrasted to the manufactured and impersonal relationships Eve is expected to have with a Potential. The narrative’s aversion to the meddling of science in reproduction almost borders on Luddism, but the end result is that Bram and Eve’s relationships to one another, their parental figures, and their friends feel genuine and progress smoothly.

This story of love and disillusion, which fans of the Matched and Delirium series will adore, is the first in a trilogy I’m excited to see more of.  

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
Brianna is a teen attending high school in Cy-Fair ISD. Her favorite genres are dystopian, fantasy, and historical fiction.