Wither takes place in a futuristic world, one that doesn't seem too unrealistic - scientists tried to cure cancer, and they did. But, because of the cure, their children end up only being able to live into their early twenties. Rhine, the main character, is kidnapped away from her brother and sold into a weird polygamous marriage.
Knowing, for a fact, that you're going to die that young would change a lot about society. So it was really interesting seeing a world explored in which that was the case.
In Rhine's new home, there are perfumed baths and overly sweet candies called june beans (which the publisher sent me a test tube full of) and beautiful gowns and illusionary landscapes. I loved that there was this almost artificial beauty in every part of the wealthy. The series name is titled Chemical Gardens, which I think is perfect solely because of this fake youthfulness. It was like they were trying to paint over something that wasn't natural with a kind of sugary coating.
The characterization in this book was pretty involved. There's Rhine's sister wives, one who was only thirteen when she was bought, and the other a distant girl who spends all day in the library. There's Linden, the husband who bought them, who surprisingly is a semi-decent guy sometimes, and has a passion for architecture that makes him approach almost likable. There's Gabriel, the servant Rhine likes, who hasn't stepped a foot off the mansion he's imprisoned in. And then there's the orchestrator of everything inside that mansion, which is Linden's father. He's a creeper. President Snow-worthy.
And speaking of characters, Rhine had every comfort she would need, and more, for the rest of her life - her life before, with her brother, was one full of poverty and fear - but she was determined to leave because she needed freedom. It reminded me a little of The Forest of Hands and Teeth based on the main character's self determination alone.
And it's probably weird to say I loved this society, but I did. I wouldn't want to live in it, but I enjoyed reading it through another character's eyes. Probably because I'm a sadist, but also because it's a side of humanity that you don't see in teen generations, and it's great to explore.
Oh, and did I mention that Lauren DeStefano is a bloody fantastic writer?
"Suddenly the clouds seem very high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans, and charred, scorched islands. They have seen how we destroyed the world. If I could see everything, as the clouds do, would I swirl around the remaining continent, still so full of color and life and seasons, wanting to protect it? Or would I just laugh at the futility of it all, and meander onward, down the earth’s sloping atmosphere?"
