Shatter City by Scott Westerfeld
Genre - Young adult dystopian, futuristic
Rating - 4 stars
Trigger warning: brief mention of depression and suicide
Synopsis: Shatter City is the second book in a new series set in the world of the Uglies series. Don’t fret, readers need not have read the Uglies series to enjoy the Imposters series – however I do recommend it as Uglies is my favorite YA series of all time! The world is set post-Rusties (our current society) after invasive species, climate change, and mining have destroyed parts of the earth and society. Shatter City sees our protagonist Frey continue fighting a war against her father, who previously used her as a body double and pawn for her twin sister, Rafi. Frey travels to the city of Paz – one where citizens control their emotions by pressing buttons on their arms – and works to find her missing twin sister.
Positives and who I recommend this for: The writing style of Shatter City is fast-paced and could be binged in a day or two. It is digestible for any audience. This book presents less of a focus on the romance than the first in the series, with a greater focus on self-discovery. In my opinion, this is where the book shines. The series (at this point knowing what I've read) could be just as successful without the romance aspect. I also enjoyed that introduction of new technologies and artificial intelligence systems. If you are traditionally a YA sci-fi reader you will likely enjoy that component as well. Shatter City is perfect for not only fans of the Uglies series but readers who enjoy traditional young adult dystopian settings in general and want a quick, exciting read.
Negatives and who I do not recommend this for: A personal negative for me is a reader is that the storyline of twins or a body double is not unique, however this may be a trope that other readers may particularly enjoy. Additionally, I did not find myself continually screenshotting or tabbing quotes in the book as profound or memorable. If you are looking for lyrical or formal writing in the form of literary fiction, this is not the book for you. That being said, that is clearly not the intent of this book from the author.
Themes: Scott Westerfeld uses Shatter City to primarily explore themes of identify, self-discovery, and mental health. Frey has lived her entire life with the ability to count on her hands the number of people who know that she even exists. She has consistently lived as someone else and throughout this book she grapples with who she is, who she wants to be, and how she wants to present herself to the world.
Mental Health: The most memorable part of this book for me is the plotline relating to mental health. Citizens of the city of Paz have surgically implanted buttons on their arms that allow them to choose the emotions they would like to apply to certain situations. The citizens describe this as the city's approach to people in earlier societies dying by suicide or suffering from depression. While not directly addressed in the book, it seems that the use of the technology has essentially eradicated these issues in the current society. While it was not explored in incredible detail, I like that the author chose another portion of our society (like he did with "attractiveness" and its affects on happiness in the first series) that futuristic societies tried to fix through technology and surgery. In the story, Frey grapples with her use of the technology. She has struggled with her own emotions due to a lack of identity and self-discovery, not ever sure what to feel or if it is appropriate. Using the Feels on her arm, as the surgery is called, allows her to apply different feelings to situations in order to feel calm, happiness, grief, steadfast, and the like. I feel that this technology is an interesting approach to the issue because it allows people to feel what they would like, but it can also mask true emotions and allow the user to become dependent on emotions that aren't natural to the situation at hand. What are your thoughts on the technology? Would you choose to have the Feels surgery if it allowed you to not feel sadness or anxiety?