When We Wake

by Karen Healey

[Angie]

When We Wake was not what I was expecting, but I still mostly enjoyed it. It’s the story of Tegan, a sixteen year old girl who was accidentally shot and killed, then brought back to life 100 years later. She had been cryonically frozen and was the first successful revival, making her the face of this controversial project. However, the military also has other plans for Tegan that she doesn’t discover until it’s too late.

Just a quick a note about the writing style, since I know some people aren’t a fan of this kind. There is breaking of the fourth wall in When We Wake. It’s told in a way that the whole story has already happened and Tegan is telling us about it. She mostly stays in the past, but occasionally she’ll bring up events and feelings from the present. I actually like this, since it felt very conversational. It also kept me engaged since I wanted to know how she got to where she is and why she feels the need to tell us the entire story.

At times When We Wake felt like a political agenda disguised as a Dystopian novel. It was a little off putting. I know that the political situation often plays an important part in the world building of a Dystopian, but in this case it was very overwhelming. I felt like the author was essentially writing a call to action rather than a piece of fiction. The world is ours 100 years later and almost every single one of today’s issues has gotten worse. For the most part the focus is on climate change, immigration, and military spending. I did like the climate change aspect, since I did get my degree in environmental science. I also agreed with the views presented on the subject, but as for the other two? I felt bombarded with information and opinions and I didn’t like it. The theme of standing up for what’s right and trying to make change is great, but it took over this book.

Another thing that I didn’t like was all of the Beatles references. This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t like them and I think that they’re overrated. Somehow Tegan is able to twist almost every conversation into something about the Beatles and it got really annoying. The chapter titles are cute, but everything else was a little much.

I did enjoy the plot. It’s fast paced and action packed. Tegan refuses to just blindly follow what the military tells her to do. She stands up for herself and others which is quite admirable. When she realizes that she wasn’t brought back to life for the reasons she thought, she begins an investigation which leads her and her new friends into lots of trouble. The second half of the story picks up a strong religious angle, since a fanatical group is quite opposed to Tegan’s resurrection, but it wasn’t quite as forceful as the politics.

In the end, I did enjoy When We Wake. The plot and characters are great, and the overall message is one I can get behind. However, the heavy use of politics (and to some extent, religion) just kept me from rating it higher. It just didn’t feel like fiction to me, but more like the author was pushing her own opinions. Of course, I don’t know how the author feels on these issues, but that’s how I felt she presented them.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.