A Better World by Sarah Langan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Better World brings the Reader another unsettling near-future as imagined by Sarah Langan!!
I really enjoyed Good Neighbors by Langan, so was looking forward to checking this one out. It’s absolutely as wild and wicked as that previous novel, but this one went even darker, IMO, which I adore.
This story follows the Farmer-Bowens family, a married couple, Linda and Russell, as well as their teen twins, Hip and Josie, as they are given the opportunity to join the company town of Plymouth Valley.
In this dystopian near-future a safe haven like Plymouth Valley is an unbelievable windfall for any family.
After touring the community, they realize they can’t turn it down. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Russell, a genius with numbers, is offered a job with the company and that will be their foot in the door.
Linda will have to give up her medical career, but truth be told, it’s not exactly keeping them safe anyway. The family agrees that they’re going to go for it. They’re moving to Plymouth Valley.
Once they’re there, things are…a little too perfect. You know what I mean? It’s so perfect, it’s unsettling.
Hip and Russell seem to adjust okay. Linda and Josie not so much. Maybe it’s slightly easier for the men for some reason. Is that possible?
Mainly through Linda’s perspective, we learn the truth about this seemingly-bucolic company town and watch this one family try to survive it.
It was hard to predict going in what exactly Langan was going to deliver with this one, but after reading it, it makes perfect sense. No one does unsettling perfection better than Sarah Langan.
This is The Stepford Wives on steroids. This story is nuts. The vibes are so creepy. It’s one of those fantastically-told stories, where from the start you’re creeped out, but you can’t really put your finger on why.
It’s like, you’re scared, but nothing overtly scary is happening. And reading it, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion, everything is slowly revealed but with perfect pacing, providing optimal impact for just exactly how messed up this situation is.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a deep dive into a dark dystopian future. This provides a lot of commentary on wealth, privilege and the power of corporations, for you to sink your teeth into.
It feels a little long, as in, Langan really built out this story, but if you have the patience and just settle in for the ride, it’s so well done. I definitely believe it successfully captured the vibes the author was hoping for!
Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I’m sorry it took me so long to get to this one, because I’ve been missing out. I cannot wait to see what Langan is going to deliver next!!!