The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Published: May 2, 2023
Ballantine Books
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Pages: 530
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Justin Cronin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage, The Twelve, The City of Mirrors, Mary and O’Neil (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize), and The Summer Guest. Other honors for his writing include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Whiting Writers’ Award. A Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Rice University, he divides his time between Houston, Texas, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process—and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he’s been dreaming—which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.
Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group—known as “Arrivalists”—who may be fomenting revolution.
Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized—and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.
“And just like that, it’s done.”
Proctor lives on the beautiful island of Prospera, where things are almost perfect. He enjoys his job, even if it’s slowly draining him. When he starts dreaming, he realizes there is more to his story.
This was a weird book. But I liked it. The story flowed well, and I found the plot to be unique. This would make a great series if done correctly.
I enjoyed the characters and found them well-developed. Proctor was relatable, and I enjoyed his humor. I liked Thea and her confidence.
There were several well-placed twists throughout this book. The seamless way the story developed, flipped and continued was fantastic.