"Those That Wake" by Jesse Karp

March 21st, 2011
"New York City’s spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from one another and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They’ve never met. Seemingly, they never will. But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts." -goodreads

This book was another interesting dystopia (can you tell that Dystopias are definitely the next vampire craze? and also that I kind of love them?). This one, rather then being directly dictated what to do by a force like The Capitol in The Hunger Games or the society in Matched, the residents of New York are kind of letting themselves be controlled by their technology. That concept was a bit frightening, probably because people really can be like that- absorbed by their smartphones or the television when the people and interactions you should be involved with are right in front of you. I've experienced people doing things like that, just as I probably have before. So some of the elements in Those That Wake really weren't that far off.

What else? The book is rather dark and grim, the tone especially, all the way through (almost gothic!). I've read reviews from people that didn't like this and thought it took away from the book and while I agree that it was a bit of a tedious tone, the entire time, I also realize that's how the story was. It wasn't happy and exciting, it was suspenseful and grim. I liked the main characters (Mal and Laura). I enjoyed the story over all. 

ARC through program at my awesome library. Thank you!