Repression Ground: a review by Paul Trembling
Our author Paul Trembling, author of crime novel Local Killer, which was published earlier this year, reviews our latest publication, E.M. Carter’s (Liz Carter’s) first novel, the dystopian thriller Repression Ground.
Repression Ground by E.M. Carter
“'Repression Ground' is a novel which can be read on two levels.
On the first level, you can read it as a well paced and exciting story of young people (and some older ones) slowly coming to recognise the true evil of the society they live in, and struggling to find a way to escape. And as such it works very well. The character development is very deftly handled, especially with 'Girl C' who is forced to move from an enthusiastic supporter and a willing participant of the system to become a rebel against it. A vital part of this development are her companions, people who she comes to value whilst realising that the state - Newland - does not value them at all.
The reader learns about Newland through their eyes, but the clever bit is that we - looking from outside - recognise the horror of this dystopian world long before the protagonists do. However it's only as they are forced to dig deeper into the truth of it that they discover just how monstrous a society has been built on the wreckage of the Britain we know today. Newland is a fine example of world building - and a terrible place to live. Escaping from it seems almost impossible, even with the loyalty, courage and talents that the companions display. Their attempt to do so leads to the sort of climax for which the term 'nail-biting' was invented!
But there is a second level, and thoughtful readers will come to it - perhaps during a pause in the action, perhaps in retrospect after they've finished. This level is about the basis of Newland society. All it's members must be 'Productive'. Their value as people depends on what they contribute to society. E.M. Carter does a brilliant job of showing us, subtly but clearly, just what that attitude leads to - the casual cruelty, the blatant hypocrisy, the systematic evil. But she also shows the essential weakness of such a system, for people can rise above that, can learn a better way of valuing each other and themselves.
This second level makes 'Repression Ground' a profoundly powerful book - and perhaps all the more so for being well pitched for a YA audience. They are, after all, the people who will have to live in whatever future world we are creating. But we all need to consider what would make that world into a Newland-like dystopia.”