The Wall

Brian Penn's The Wall is a dystopian novel for young adults. First and foremost, Brian Penn is an incredible writer. The storyplot is immediately introduced to readers without fluff or boring background information. The descriptive language gives the reader the feeling of living the story. The book is based on faith, which is a plus for me. Although it is 2099, much of the culture is reminiscent of the 1980s. Another Civil War is raging in America. In this case, the division is based on socioeconomic status. In Zion, you can have it all. There are no shortages of wealth, privilege, or material goods for them. And then there's Middleland. Middleland is a place of poverty. Hunger is rife. Their status is that of trash, scum, and mere slaves to Zion. Electric walls surround them. A wall that cannot be penetrated divides the two sides. Religion, Bibles, and guns are prohibited. Asher is from the Middleland. Unlike him, his fiancee lives on the other side. It's Asher's relentless mission to reunite with Sarai. An opportunity is presented to Asher. Is despiration capable of allowing him to compromise what is right. In this book, one theme recurs throughout: abundance leads man to act selfishly and devalue others' lives. As technology advances, so do technological advancements. By allowing cellular resuscitation, the wealthy have gained a second chance at life. The book contains so much more. I'm only scratching the surface here. Penn does a fantastic job developing the characters. Archetypes are distinctive to each of them. Then, he builds each character's backstory, strengths, flaws, and skills so beautifully. As the story unfolds, we observe the characters change and grow. It could have used one or two more edits to clean it up. I would say that is the only negative I have. Teens and young adults who love The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and 1984 will enjoy this book. Adults may love it too. 

Disclaimer - I received this Ebook in exchange for my honest thoughts.