Several decades into the future, caffeine is outlawed and water & paper supplies are limited. New York City is town rife with crime and poverty where museums have been turned into nightclubs and coffee is sold in seedy speakeasies. As the daughter of the city's most notorious crime boss, Anya Balanchine is no stranger to the town's underworld. But with both parents dead from mafiya hits, Anya is more worried about her siblings' safety than her family's weakening monopoly on illegal chocolate imports. Then her loser ex-boyfriend gets poisoned by a couple bars of Balanchine Special Dark chocolate he begged from her and suddenly Anya's plans for staying out of the spotlight are ruined completely. Meanwhile Anya's shifting relationship with the son of the new and ambitious District Attorney definitely isn't making her life any easier.
As I stated, the future portrayed in Zevin's newest novel is much more familiar to readers of 2012 than the more distant worlds portrayed in dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games or Marie Lu's recently released thriller Legend. The lessening of key resources and the outlawing of caffeine are the most obvious differences. However, Anya's life is set apart in ways unrelated to the novel's futuristic setting. Anya has grown up in a world of paranoia, violence, and distrust; her general distrust of others' motives and her tendancy towards self-denial on behalf of the few people she really loves separate her from her peers. Her great pragmatism and moral concern make her a fascinating (if slightly disconcerting); these qualities also make the developing forbidden love story between Anya and the D.A.'s charming and sweet son Win even more sympathetic.
I also greatly enjoyed Anya' s complicated relationships with her immediate family, including her siblings, her dying grandmother, and even her late father and mother. Anya's struggles to distance herself from her family's criminal past and present while also relying on the skills and strength she's gained from such a life are as compelling as the larger mysteries and action. The plot is not obviously action-packed but the novel is full of twists and turns; mystery fans will find a great deal to enjoy in the complexities of the Balanchine crime family and their illicit business.
The combination of a setting both familiar and unfamiliar, starcrossed romance, complex family relationships, and compelling mystery make Gabrielle Zevin's all these things i've done a unique and appealing coming of age story. Grab a mug of coffee or a chocolate bar and check out this intriguing new novel!
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