In a futuristic world not too different from our own, where consumption is the main objective, lives 16-year-old Zoë Zindleman. She has been forced to graduate from high school early and there are only two places to go after school – to work in retail, or to the penitentiary. There are also only two remarkably similar places to shop – AllMART or Q-MART.

Zoë and her mum live in a bland housing estate where every house is for sale, but on the day that Zoë graduates her mum tells her that she must move somewhere else for work and Zoë will now have to live alone. Her only companionship comes from the relentless banter of the male and female anchors on the free 24 hour news show, and a boy who says the electricity will soon be turned off on her house so she will need to abandon it and move on. This boy, Timmer, is determined to rescue and help those who have become lost in the dehumanising system. He knows that Zoë needs help.

This is a terrifying world where consumerism has run rampant and personal relationships are discouraged because they might distract from the importance of working and shopping. It’s a world where strict rules and regulations have taken over from any semblance of love, but the leaders of this society are never clear. Is it a Kafkaesque nightmare or a potential future scenario? Either way, this slim book packs a big punch and is sure to stimulate discussion. Ultimately hopeful, it makes for fascinating reading.

Angela Crocombe