The Pledge

Derting’s chilling dystopia envisions an America ruled by monarchy, most of its cities razed, and its citizens straitjacketed in a caste system divided by language. Deviations from the limitations of one’s caste are punishable by death. Rebels threaten the authority of an aged, amoral queen, who in the opening scene murders her daughter to assume control of the younger body. That body has now reached its limits, and another host is required. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Hart doesn’t know anything about this; she is coping with totalitarianism as best she can and keeping her one secret—that she can instinctively understand the languages of every caste, even the royal dialect. Not even her best friend Brooklynn knows, but now strangers suspect her, notably Max, a beautiful, frightening man who believes Charlie could be the key to changing their society. But can Charlie trust him? Frequent perspective shifts give the narrative a certain busyness, and the absolute, unrealistic limitations on language have the artificiality of a thought experiment. But Derting (Desires of the Dead) is right on when depicting the bonds of family, friendship, and first love. Ages 14–up. (Nov.)