5 to 1 by Holly Bodger

5 to 1

by Holly Bodger

Part Homeless Bird and part Matched, this is a dark look at the near future told through the alternating perspectives of two teens who dare to challenge the system.

In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife.

Sudasa, though, doesn’t want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.

This beautiful, unique novel is told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Kiran’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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I received an ARC through NetGalley.

5 to 1 is a very interesting and unique story. It's one of those realistic Dystopians, as in, it's just the real world without any kind of crazy technological advances or supernatural influence. Sudasa is seventeen years old and watching her future husband compete in a series of tests. There are five boys competing for her hand, but in the end she must choose one. It's not something she's looking forward to. In her city, women are supposedly the ones in power, but she feels trapped by her responsibility. Especially when the boy she wants to choose doesn't want to be chosen.

5 to 1 is set in a future India where population control went terribly wrong. A law was implemented that families could only have one child, and they all wanted to have a boy to carry on the family name and bring honor. Of course, this means the ratio of boys to girls become very skewed, and now everyone wants to have girls and boys are considered useless. Girls are treated like princesses, and men are rewarded for siring girls, otherwise they're sent to patrol the wall protecting their city where it's kill or be killed. While it seems great that women stepped up to protect themselves and their daughters and granddaughters, really no one is happy in this city. It's one of those things that sounded good in theory, but in actuality is nearly as bad as what they were working against.

I loved how 5 to 1 was told in dual POV, one of which was in verse! Sudasa has the verse chapters, and we really get to see her struggle with her decision. There is no black and white here. It's all shades of grey, since she absolutely does not want to wind up with her cousin, but she also doesn't want to force "Contestant Five" to marry her when she knows he wants to get out. Meanwhile, Five doesn't want to be chosen, but he also doesn't want her to choose her pompous, arrogant, disrespectful cousin. It's just a mess. And no, despite being all about marriage, there is no romance. So don't worry about insta-love or love triangles or any of that. It's more about two people trying to pave their own futures.

I really liked 5 to 1. It only takes place over three days, which is the span of the marriage competition. I normally love books with such a narrow focus, and I think it works especially well here, since we get to see this major event in detail while also getting a pretty good glimpse into how this society in general works. I was a bit disappointed in the ending though, since I feel like it's too open. I'm hoping it's a happy ending, and I'm just going to assume it is. Although I would have liked the story to extend a bit further, since as it is, it all seems too easy.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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  • Started reading
  • 17 March, 2015: Finished reading
  • 17 March, 2015: Reviewed