The Panopticon
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4.1 • 25 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
JENNI FAGAN HAS BEEN NAMED AS ONE OF GRANTA MAGAZINE'S BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2013
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION AND THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2013
'One of the most cunning and spirited novels I've read for years' Ali Smith
'An utterly magnificent achievement' Irvine Welsh
Fifteen-year old Anais Hendricks is smart, funny and fierce, but she is also a child who has been let down, or worse, by just about every adult she has ever met. Sitting in the back of a police car, she finds herself headed for the Panopticon, a home for chronic young offenders where the social workers are as suspicious as its residents. But Anais can't remember the events that have led her there, or why she has blood on her school uniform...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After an altercation with authorities leaves an officer in a coma, 15-year-old Anais Hendricks finds herself shuttled off to the Panopticon, a care center for young, chronic offenders modeled after the prison designs of English philosopher Jeremy Bentham. Amid the institution's crescent-shaped buildings and all-seeing watchtower, Anais befriends a group of ragtag ruffians and delves into her past, endlessly stoned and concerned she's being watched by an entity she calls "the experiment." Fagan's debut, voiced in a frenetic, robust Scottish inflection, weaves together mystery and coming-of-age elements to create a tale filled with dread and humor. Though Anais tries to clear her name and remember what transpired between her and the injured officer (she was under the influence at the time) the novel dwells less on her fate and finds stronger focus on the bonds between residents. Fagan constantly fluctuates between scenes of distress as when a stoned resident leaps from a window and scenes of typical teenager behavior: smoking, dating, debating about superpowers, and playing Truth or Dare? Anais's story is one of abandonment, loss, and redemption, well suited for a paranoid age in which society finds itself constantly under the microscope.
Customer Reviews
No spoilers
Powerful and compelling storytelling, and a brutally honest and moving insight into the pressures and influences on looked after children and young adults.