Review: The Long Sleep by Diana Fenves

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 Review of The Long Sleep by Diana Fenves (5636 words)

Planet Scumm, Issue #11, Summer 2021 : Purchase

We meet Hugo as a sensitive, ambitious child who feels strongly about many things, including his mother and the fact that she has to leave him for a while with his father.

In this dystopian setting, he retains his optimism and goal of being an astronaut. Circumstances, however, change - mostly due to financial situations. Because this dystopian city is just as selfishly capitalist as our present day one.

Sympathy or empathy for a fellow human cannot be included in paperwork, and with no quantifiable benefit, it probably isn't worth considering in this dystopia. By the end, he is still sensitive, still wants to be an astronaut, but also, in his own small way, starts to help other people.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I want to say goodness cannot be quashed, and hope always finds a way.  

 

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