Hypothetically, what would you do if you were born in a post-apocalyptic world where the government is slowly but surely transforming into a totalitarian regime? How would you feel if you were a victim of forced collectivism and social Darwinism? Would you survive environmental collapse where basic human necessities are a luxury, seasons hold no semblance of truth, birds don’t fly, and the sun dips lower every day? Would you become insane after nearly a year in solitary confinement while fascists obliterate a world that hates you? Those answers are in a YA dystopian series titled Shatter Me, by New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi.
Existing within a body with skin that could kill people would drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Just ask Juliette Ferrars, the protagonist of the story, she’ll tell you all about it. Accidentally bumping into someone, high-fives, fist bumps, holding hands, hugs, or merely tapping someone on the shoulder could lead to someone’s death in a matter of seconds. And someone with the skin of a murderer, a monster, couldn’t possibly contain any semblance of humanity in her tarnished heart of gold— not with her distorted soul. That is, if she even has either of those in her; most abominations do not. She’s well and capable of thinking of anyone but herself. “Sometimes I think the loneliness inside of me is going to explode through my skin and sometimes I’m not sure if crying or screaming or laughing through the hysteria will solve anything at all.” She’s not human. ”I want to put this fist attached to my wrist right through the window. Just to feel something. Just to feel human.” There is a suggestion that she takes herself out of this world. “I only know now that the scientists are wrong. The world is flat. I know because I was tossed right off the edge and I’ve been trying to hold on for 17 years.”
”No more dangerous imaginations, no more prescription medications. A new generation composed of only healthy individuals would sustain us. The sick must be locked away. The old must be discarded. The troubled must be given up to the asylums. Only the strong should survive.”
Her mind crawls with infestations and her skin is a spider web luring victims to their death; That’s the consensus. It was about time she was thrown into an insane asylum—where she belongs—a permanent home for a monster like her. A murderer like her. And for 264 days she occupied a single room, with a single peep hole of a window, with a single pen, with a single small book to keep her thoughts company…and a single cellmate. Until the Reestablishment, Warner, opened his eyes to the fact that her curse was a gift. She would be their human weapon.
The Reestablishment is a promise of hope. Their military will protect lives.“ “More people have died at the end of a loaded gun than from an empty stomach.” They will extract old and all opinions in favor of one world wide view in order to restore polluted perceptions. ”No more stupid languages and stupid stories and stupid paintings placed above stupid mantels.” Most importantly, they will heal the planet that is failing them after they abused their ecosystem, atmosphere, and their fellow men. “The animals are dying, birds don’t fly, crops are hard to come by, flowers almost don’t exist. The weather is unreliable. Sometimes our winter days hit 92 degrees. Sometimes it snows for no reason at all. We can’t grow enough food anymore, we can’t sustain enough vegetation for the animals anymore, and we can’t feed the people what they need.” This—this will shatter restore humanity; shatter reconstruct peace!
“SAVE US!
JOIN US!
REESTABLISH SOCIETY!”
The Reestablishment—Warner—tells her that “You and I, Juliette—together? We could be unstoppable” and, ”You have a gift! You have an extraordinary ability that you don’t care to understand!” For the first time in her life someone is willing to give her a chance, an opportunity to flourish, to claw at power with vines so tight they suffocate, to grow thorns that prick at heartbeats. She could walk down a path of destruction. What a glorious path that would be. For someone who wants “to smash this concrete world into oblivion.” What a revengeful life she could lead for someone who wants “to be bigger, better, stronger.” What a just path for someone so broken. “I want to be angry, angry, angry.” Suddenly, a girl who once had less than nothing, could strive for everything. Or, she could give it all up to walk hand in hand with the only person she could touch with not only her skin, but her heart. She wouldn’t choose that…of course.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.”
Reading order:
- Shatter Me: (Book 1)
- Destroy Me: (Novella 1.5)
- Unravel Me: (Book 2)
- Fracture Me: (Novella 2.5)
- Ignite Me: (Book 3)
- Restore Me: (Book 4)
- Shadow Me: (Novella 4.5)
- Defy Me: (Book 5)
- Reveal Me: (Novella 5.5)
- Imagine Me: (Book 6)
- Believe Me: (Novella 6.5)
