2029–2047, The Mandibles: A Family

A wonderful depiction of our possible dystopian near future. A little heavy on the economic explanations but a very descriptive foreshadowing of our culture in America turned upside down. I recommend that it be read concurrently with an eye on our current American political situation.

Believable, insightful and an amazing review of economics. Most Americans are already incredibly underpaid, Shriver's future reinforces the sense of complacency that the working class has fallen into.
I particularly enjoyed her change in usage. No Adverbs, abbreviations just as in texts only strangely different. I loved it.

This is a well written story that bursts with colorful characters and that offers a plausible look at America's economic future. If you've been labeled as some sort of "-ist" or "-phobe" for believing that a $20 trillion national debt offset by less than $4 trillion in annual tax revenue is a recipe for disaster, read this book as an affirmation that you are not alone.

Difficult to read but amazing economic predictions about the collapse of the dollar and all gold given to the state. The rich become poor. She invents a new language and writes about the Mexicans building a wall to keep out destitute Americans.

If you want a dismal but possibly realistic look at what the decline of America might look like, this is the book for you. It introduces a wealth of interesting ideas -- and warnings -- about where we might be headed economically, and it's not a pretty picture. It is, however, one that is chock-full of all the details of life in a decade or two, complete with trendy new words, devices, and ways of life. It seems there are no limits to Shriver's imagination, and that's the strength of this book. The weakness is in the "As you know, Bob" dialogue -- everything is explained, especially in the opening, in heavy-handed dialogue that is not how people really talk, although Shriver does her best and does manage a more than a few realistic-sounding conversations. It's just a lot of exposition and explanation that kind of hits the reader over the head at first. There are a few too many characters to keep track of, so not all of them are fleshed out, but the characters of Willing, Avery and Nollie are worth the read. And, you do want to know what is going to happen to this family. Despite the somewhat clunky and heavy movement of the plot, there are so many insights and quotable lines that the book is worth reading.

Great book for the current US and international political climate, as well as the state of the US and foreign economies. Lionel Shriver writes a very captivating and plausible story, which intertwines with her characters personalities and development beautifully. Very good book and great read while traveling.

it's really difficult to work big economic concepts into a work of fiction, I get that. I just wish Shriver had tried more exposition and fewer long abstruse dialogues that seem like people reading Wiki pages at each other. that aside, damn good storytelling and a chilling vision of a future America that's way too believable. biggin' uncruel

This book had an interesting perspective on the how the crash world economy would effect the average tax payer in The USA. It made me realize how much I take for granted the financial freedoms we have in America..Americans should be much more vigilant in who they elect to represent them. The novel was could read.

Vivid characters and gripping story about the financial armageddon that awaits American in 2029. So real and so believable, we all better prey we get some politicians who actually care about helping their constituents. A must read--I couldn't put it down.

Lionel Shriver delivers a sharp, darkly humorous, and almost prophetic vision of America's near future, where the nation has defaulted on its debt, the dollar has no value, inflation is out of control and the U.S. has taken on a strictly isolationist economic policy. Her story is as timely and frightening as it is plausible. It's as if she took every half drunk political conversation with your neighbors and relatives, ran the numbers, consulted economists, listened to some NPR, and said: here's how the story goes... Through the construct and hubris of her characters she is able to explain economic scenarios with an academic consideration that is neither patronizing nor contrived. This lends her story a water tight internal logic that allows us to suspend beliefs and immerse ourselves in her Libertarian fairy tale. The pacing itself acts as a metaphor for her character's arcs. It is staccato and quick, but never hurried. It has the no nonsense, one foot in front of the other march of survival and only seems to bog down or lull when the character's themselves are no longer under pressure to act. By taking a successful, well educated family and stripping them of their inheritance, savings, and ability to earn an income through their position or talents, Shriver exposes the privilege of having or planning for a future and the futility of security. In the arc of the Mandibles as an extended and discordant family she illustrates the distances we maintain and the connections we form, the difference between need and want, and the values and ugliness that come from both having and not. In short, it is the best book I've read at the right time. The Mandibles: A Family should be The Goldfinch of 2017, everyone should be reading it and talking about it. I'm looking forward to reading it again. (less)

The concept is feasible and that what makes one ponder on the scenario presented long after the book is finished. What trust do we put in our legal tender, what would happen if the economic underpinning for our country disappeared? Lionel explores this and has great character development as well, and are real people you might know. Shriver has written another compelling novel.