Review: The Mark by Edyth Bulbring

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UPDATE: I have turned off comments for this review. This is a set book for a class in South Africa and I'm starting to get comments asking me to answer assigned question. Also, people have ignored my request that they not ask such questions. If you would like some guidance reading this book, there are a number of youtube videos on The Mark. Link to youtube videos on The Mark.

Juliet Seven (aka Ettie) lives is Slum City in a post-catastrophe version of Cape Town, South Africa. An event known as the conflagration has left half the moon dark and blasted and led to the big drowning which left old Cape Town submerged. Ettie is destined for the life of a Drudge serving the upper class and an arranged marriage when she reaches 16 years old. But Ettie is unusual — for one she can read— and she just may be The Chosen One. Chosen for what we don't know yet but it may be to bring down the feudal society of the State of Mangeria where she lives.

The Mark is a dystopean young adult novel. Being a card-carrying geezer, I'm not in the target demographic. But you know what, a good story is a good story and this is a good story well told. I'm not about to deny myself the pleasure.

Part of my enjoyment of dystopean literature is how the author extrapolates a possible future and Edyth's book is a first-rate piece of world building. I can easily envisage that a devastated world where the technology that survived is in the hands of the elite leading to a feudal society where most of the population are Drudges who serve the Poshes. This world is harsh, hostile, unforgiving. Drudges who are no longer productive are discarded, thrown out of the city finish their short lives as rejects.

What technology remains is in the hands of the Poshes and specifically the ruling Mangerian families. They operate The Machine, a computer (we assume), that makes decisions on every aspect of life in Mangeria including what work a Drudge will be trained for and who they will marry. The Drudges are kept under control by the Locusts, the law enforcement arm of the justice department and by their dependence on factory produced food.

Ettie is a likable and repeatable strong female character. She sees more and thinks more critically than most of the adults in her world. She is adept at applying what she calls her masks to adapt to situation in which she finds herself. She struck a deal with a blind book collector who taught her to read in exchange for Ettie reading to him. This gives her access to a world of books and ideas and her first person narrative is peppered with references to stories such as the Magic Faraway Tree (which I also read as a young reader), Alice in Wonderland, and The Hobbit.

The first half of the book creates a detailed and vivid picture of Ettie's world. I found it a believable world that didn't stretch credulity.One of the major detalis about this world that should resonate with us tody is that sunscreen and sunglasses are now absolute necessities. With the climate change warnings we see nearly every day this doesn't seem far-fetched. Also, little details, like cockroaches being on of the few insects to survive adds to relatability of the story. The second half sees Ettie placed in service with a Mangerian family and we begin to see what happens behind the scenes and things start coming together that will propel the story onward.

There are fantastical element with Ettie as The Chosen One whose coming has been foretold and soothsaying hadeda birds. This is where me not being part of the target audience shows. Back when I was in my early teens I would have loved the idea of being The Chosen One. Now, I find myself thinking that the story would work as well without the mystical bits because of the excellent world-building and strong protagonist. But it's all good and I look forward to seeing how Edyth develops The Chosen One plot line.

The sequel, The Reject is now available as an Amazon Kindle edition.

Questions to be answered:
What is Ettie's destiny as The Chosen One
How much of the world is affected by the post-conflagration devastation

I very much enjoyed The Mark and it is one that I know I would have devoured when I was in my early teens though in the 60s my enjoyment would have come from excitment and escapism.

There are a lot of web articles about the popularity dystopean young adult fiction and a surprising number asking if adults should be reading these books (the answer is yes).

Elissa Nadworthy actually talked to teens about dystopean literature. Relatability is a factor. Here are a few selections from the NPR article, Why Teens Find the End of the World so Appealing. 2017 Elissa Nadworthy NPR

"There tends to be a common teen-angst thing, like: 'Oh the whole world is against me, the whole world is so screwed up,' " Will explains.

Teenagers are cynical, adds Aaron Yost, 16. And they should be: "To be fair, they were born into a world that their parents kind of really messed up."
Everyone here agrees: The plots in dystopia feel super familiar. That's kind of what makes the books scary — and really good.

Think of it like this: Teen readers themselves are characters in a strange land. Rules don't make sense. School doesn't always make sense. And they don't have a ton of power.
The fact that these books offer a safety net, a place where kids can "flirt with those questions without getting into trouble," that's reason enough to keep teachers and parents buying them off the shelf.

Comments are turned off for this post. If The Mark is a set book for your school project, you might find it helpful to look at these youtube videos about the book. Link to list of youtube videos about The Mark.