I absolutely loved this book, even though I wasn’t sure what to expect (habit of mine never to read the blurb!)
Hope is set just a few years in the future which is terrifying as the events centre around current social media trends so are realistic.
The main character is Lita, a blogger, who is becoming increasingly concerned abut the political and capitalist changes to control the population’s health, wealth and even birth rate.
The spread of robotics has caused a decrease in employment so there is huge compeition for jobs. Meanwhile the state has made it increasingly difficult to obtain benefits so people are forced to go to Hope Villages around the country. These are reminiscent of the Victorian workhouses and are very tricky to leave.
However, Lita and her friends suspect that there may be something more sinister underpinning the Hope Village ethos. Their challenge to the status quo results in them becoming homeless and there is only one place they can go…
I loved Terry Tyler’s style of writing and her use of the first person so that Lita’s character is fully developed and we can identify with her and the problems she faces. In my opinion, Hope is reminiscent of some of Ben Elton’s finest books and has an ironic and cynical edge throughout the narrative.
Being a blogger myself, I enjoyed Lita’s honesty and integrity in the face of the relentless corporate promotion that saturates social media.
There are moments of hope during the book as Lita and her friends are helped by others and their friendship endures the troubles they face together: the best of humanity fighting against the worst power and greed.
Overall, Hope is a compelling and gripping read. Fab-u-lous!
Hope
Publication Date: May 24, 2019
Genre: Dystopian/ Psychological Thriller
Terry Tyler’s nineteenth published work is a psychological thriller set in a dystopian near future – the UK, Year 2028.
Blogger Lita Stone and journalist Nick Freer live and work online, seeing life through soundbites, news TV and social media. Keeping the outside world at bay in their cozy flat, they observe the ruthless activities of the new PM and his celebrity fitness guru wife, Mona (hashtag MoMo), with the mild outrage that can be quelled simply by writing another blog post.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, multinational conglomerate Nutricorp is busy buying up supermarket chains, controlling the media, and financing the new compounds for the homeless: the Hope Villages.
Lita and Nick suspect little of the danger that awaits the unfortunate, until the outside world catches up with them – and Lita is forced to discover a strength she never knew she possessed.
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Excerpt
We don’t notice our world changing around us, because those little shifts take place so gradually. Attitudes are altered one decision, one blind eye turned, one ‘I accept’ at a time, until a situation that would have seemed unthinkable ten, twenty, thirty years ago, becomes the norm.
I’ve been pondering this a lot over the past few days, since I walked past the usual mile-long queue outside our local food bank, and thought, hang on a minute. When did this happen?
When I was a kid, I knew food banks existed but had never seen one. The UK’s first opened in 2004; I googled it so you don’t have to. Now they’re in every town, as normal a feature of our urban landscape as Nu-Mart and BettaBargains, but still they’re not government funded. They rely on charities, and people like me who dump a packet of Nu-Mart Pasta ‘n’ Sauce in the donations basket when we do our weekly shop.
One ponder led to another, and ‘why so many food banks?’ got me thinking about Hope Villages.
Since the first one, four years ago, they’ve popped up all over the country.
Sounds cosy, doesn’t it? Hope Village. Rosy-cheeked kiddies and lovingly tended gardens. A smiling vicar walking his dog, and pots of jam with gingham covers over the lids.
The reality is somewhat less appealing. The ‘Villages’ are estates of warehouse-like structures to house the homeless, with nary a jar of apple and blackberry preserves in sight.
Not so long ago, the less fortunate of our nation―of which there are said to be over two million―were part of the scenery in any town. You’d see them slumped in shop doorways, sitting blank-eyed on park benches, begging outside supermarkets and cafés.
Queueing outside the shelters.
There are two shelters near us: Horizon, and a Roof. Roof Charity has opened many, all over the country, in the past decade. I walk past and try not to stare at the bewildered faces of those who have only recently fallen this far and are trying their best to cling to ‘normality’, alongside the long-termers, their dead eyes staring at the ground.
Over the last four years, however, most of the homeless have been tidied away into Hope Villages.
Now Available!
Amazon | Amazon UK | Book Goodies
About the Author
Terry Tyler is the author of nineteen books available from Amazon, the latest being ‘Hope’, a dystopian, psychological drama set in the UK, a decade into the future. She is currently at work on ‘Blackthorn’, a post-apocalyptic stand-alone story set in her fictional city of the same name. Proud to be independently published, Terry is an avid reader and book reviewer, and a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team.
Terry is a Walking Dead addict, and has a great interest in history (particularly 14th-17th century), and sociological/cultural/anthropological stuff, generally. She loves South Park, Netflix, autumn and winter, and going for long walks in quiet places where there are lots of trees. She lives in the north east of England with her husband.
Terry Tyler | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub| Amazon
For your chance to win one of 4 digital copies of Hope in the format of your choice, click HERE!
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