Rife with the sensibilities of 1984 and sparkling with the inventiveness of Jasper Fforde, this dystopian novel is both frightening and redemptive. Placed in an indeterminate time and place, this tale of a society ordered by the instincts detected in each citizen by an authoritative uber-class is complex and satisfying in its attention to detail. A grim world where every act is determined by urges that cannot be denied and closely monitored for conformity takes the notion of “doing what you were meant to do” to the extreme.

Claire is an unfortunate child born without an instinct, a trait her parents are at great pains to disguise, since this is considered to be an aberration that is akin to a severe mental illness and requires institutional constrictions that are draconian. She is given a false mark identifying her as a “Confidante”, one who will listen to whatever is said and act as a kind of secular confessor whose confidentiality is unquestioned. Members of her instinct class are defended by perpetually having headphones with their choice of music set at volumes that prevent them from hearing unwanted conversations. Only when they are acting in their professional capacity do they shed these protective measures and actually listen to what is being said to them. Of course, for Claire, this is a fiction. She has no such instinct but is sent to a training facility where he learns to mimic the actions she is expected to take. She is nearing the completion of her studies when she is visited by an epiphany confirming her suspicion that there are others who suffer the same fate as hers. She allies herself with a clumsy young giant whose instinct is to protect and has subsequently lost both arms in an incident of life saving. They engage on a twisted journey to find the “others” and bring an end to the overbearing influence of the “We”, the class who exercise rule with iron grip.

Using considerable skill Dabos guides us through this dark world filled with devices that reveal remarkable inventiveness. It is worthy of being considered as both classic science fiction and classic fantasy. Readers of her “Mirror Visitor” series will not be disappointed in the luxurious detail and complexity of cultural inventions she produces. The story is thought-provoking and poignant in that it takes modern notions considered to be ordinary to extreme lengths in the ways for which writers like Bradbury, Asimov and Clarke were famous.