The Test

by Sylvain Neuvel

Britain, the not-too-distant future.
Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.
He wants his family to belong.

Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.
When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

• ISBN10: 1250312833
• ISBN13: 9781250312839
• Publish Date: 1 March 2019 (first published 12 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 112
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

Ah … this one started off so good, but quickly became very unenjoyable to read. But I've seen others liken this novella to the show Black Mirror, and I can absolutely see why. If you haven’t already read something like this, you may enjoy it.

Content warnings:
- Islamophobia
- fatphobia
- homophobia
- transphobia
- sexism
- child abuse (& domestic abuse mention)
- nonconsensual use of medication

Representation:
- the main protagonist is Muslim and an immigrant from Iran
- the other PoV character is a first-generation Indian-British citizen

In a near-future “dystopian” UK, Idir Jalil takes the British Citizenship Test. But he’s barely begun when a shooter bursts in and takes him and the other test takers hostage. And when Idir draws attention to himself, he finds himself forced to choose which people die when the shooter decides to take lives.

I love the beginning. The first few chapters have such a compelling and distinct voice. But then the shooter comes into play -- and worse, the “twist” happens (I’m not sure if I can really call it a twist, because it comes so early in the story! I didn’t actually know it was supposed to be one, either, until I went back to the book’s goodreads page). In the end, another goodreads review sums it up best: ”If you forcibly put someone through a [traumatic] event, they will be traumatized. The concept fell fully flat ….”

The author also bashes me over the head with one lesson in morality (and psychology) after another. It’s exhausting, even if I mostly agree with what he says (how did reverse racism and pro-cop sentiments get in there, though? No, please!). The shooter is obnoxiously childish, too, his dialogue almost laughable at times. And at one point, the prose was filled with so much telling, I forgot this was an actual published piece of work (the typo was there in the text, too):

“Deep is upset. He’s not thinking about himself at this point. [...] What Deep is experiencing is just narcissistic identification and a very strong case of narrative transportation. At this point, Deep is incapable of separating Idir’s success of failure from his own. He’s so caught up in the simulation that his feelings and opinions are filtered through the rules of the game.”

I’m being extremely critical, I’m sorry. I just didn’t see the mind-bending, mind-blowing critique of immigration I was hoping for.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

This novella is... wow.

I wasn't quite expecting this.

It amazes me the way some people can weave such a powerful story into so few pages.  I expected this book to be something a little more about racism, and I won't say there aren't moments where Neuvel is calling out Islamophobia... but this was not what I expect.

The Test is a quite, extremely powerful story.  We meet Idir at the beginning, a kind man who is going to take his test to become a British citizen.  What follows is everything I would expected from the man who wrote Sleeping Giants.  Which is to say, this story did nothing I expected it would, and it did all those things in the most brutal way possible.  From a level of engagement, I really enjoyed it.  I was worried about Idir.  Reading this on my lunch break, I had to set it down in the middle of a particularly high-tensity moment, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  My heart was racing.  It's just that good.

But it is, in no way, a feel-good book.  It's a book that will pull you into the story until every cell in your body is fused to the words... but it will also take your heart and put it in a blender and hit pulse.  The Test is ruthless.  It's powerful.  The characters are compelling and interesting and will surprise you.  This novella is dark and haunting.

I really think everyone needs to read it.  It speaks tomes about who we are as humans and the horrible depths in our souls.

Really.  I recommend this to EVERYONE.

[kiracanread]

A really interesting short dystopian story, I really enjoyed it and it's such a shocking story.

[leahrosereads]

What a freaking wild ride. In a little over100 pages, this author created a compelling story, a sympathetic main character, and a scary realistic future. This was absolutely incredible and terrifying, and I cannot wait to read more by Sylvan Neuvel.

[Nessa Luna]

Wow, this novella was such a surprise to me. I had not liked any of this author’s previous books and actually DNF-ed the second Themis Files book. But this story went in a way I had not expected. I didn’t really like the way it ended though and wished there had been just a bit more to it, but all in all, I really liked this story!

CAWPILE: 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 (Avg: 7.86)

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Test from TOR in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If the philosophical Trolley Problem could tell a story, it would be The Test. It perfectly captures the complexity of the dilemma, as well as the moral, ethical, and practical concerns. But then it goes a step further. It made all of those fictional people – the faceless ones we don’t hesitate to throw into a ‘what if’ scenario, and it makes them feel real.
The Test is a novella written by Sylvain Neuvel, and if you’re looking for something that’ll simultaneously take your breath away and make you think, than this is the tale for you.
I love the reaction that The Test managed to illicit from me. At times I was curious, at others I felt compelled to argue points, and at completely different times I was angry for Ramzi and the things he was being put through. I can honestly and truly tell you that I have never felt so emotional about a philosophical debate like this.
The twists and turns made throughout the novella were pleasantly unexpected, from the first major revelation right up to the last one. There wasn’t room left for debate in what actually happened, but that still leaves plenty to debate about. The methods used by those running the test, the reason for designing the test, the accuracy of the test, the ethical nature of it. Those are all very much open to debate (and I’ll confess that I’m looking forward to the book’s release so I can have that discussion openly).
Neuvel captured all of these concerns and questions, and presented them to us where it felt like we were being told a story. It was quite beautifully done, all things considered. While I haven’t read any of his other works, I’m clearly going to have to add everything he’s written to my ever growing TBR pile.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks