The always war by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Tessa lives in a world of rationing and sacrifice, where the effort of her entire country is focused on supporting the war effort.  It is a hard life and the world around her is dull and grey, the buildings, the people, and the future.  The one bright spark is that her neighbourhood has a new hero, a neighbourhood boy who has been to war and returned a hero - or so they all think.  Something is not right with Gideon though, and on the day of his ceremony he declares he was a coward and runs away.  When Tessa follows him she finds herself on a journey that will change her life forever.

The always war is another absorbing and thought provoking read from Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Almost more a novella than a true novel, the story is short and concise but has some amazing moments.  It seems as though so many books lately are about dystopian futures, and so many of them seem to be churning through the same storylines - desolate future, small communities controlled by something, maybe a boarding school or two.  The always war breaks away from this tradition, offering a different kind of dystopia, one where we could be in a very short space of time, a place we could face within our lifetimes.

Without giving away the story too much, Haddix has created a world that is our not too distant future, and it looks as though the story is set in a future America - but the names have changed and not being American limits some of my understanding of the lakes mentioned in the story.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and hope that Haddix continues to write thought provoking and readable novels for many years to come.

If you like this book then try:

• The walls have eyes by Clare B. Dunkle
• Star split by Kathryn Lasky
• Inside out by Maria V. Snyder
• Genesis by Bernard Beckett
• Sleeper code by Tom Sniegoski
• Boy soldier by Andy McNabb and Robert Rigby

Reviewed by Brilla