The High-Rise Diver
Fiction
World Editions
March 2, 2021
Advanced reader copy
288
Free from publisher
Big Sister is watching you
Riva is a “high-rise diver,” a top athlete with millions of fans, and a perfectly functioning human on all levels. Suddenly she rebels, breaking her contract and refusing to train. Cameras are everywhere in her world, but she doesn’t know her every move is being watched by Hitomi, the psychologist tasked with reining Riva back in. Unquestionably loyal to the system, Hitomi’s own life is at stake: should she fail to deliver, she will be banned to the “peripheries,” the filthy outskirts of society.
This chilling and distressingly plausible dystopia creates a world in which performance is everything and one woman's failure to achieve becomes another's downfall.
My review:
I'm not a huge reader of dystopian fiction, but when a book catches my eye, it has to be a somewhat believable future world. This book provided that for me. Almost everything in your life is controlled by your tablet, and everywhere that you go you are being watched and monitored. There is an entire class structure set up, and if you are chosen at a young age, you will be allowed to succeed and move from the peripheries to the city. Surviving in the city is however a function of performing at a peak level. The main story is about a psychologist whose performance rests on convincing a high rise diver (a fascinating concept in and of itself) to continue on with her career when she appears to have tuned out. So many things in this world were absolutely fascinating to me, and I was riveted to Hitomi's story! As in most dystopian novels, the world building is one of the main keys to success, and I thought it was done very well in this one. The story does skip around to various people throughout, and I found that to be a bit distracting, but not enough to temper my enjoyment.
If you are looking for something completely different, with a well constructed future world, I would suggest giving this translated German work a go.
