Transferring from an elite post to the state boarding school where her daughter has been placed, a teacher is horrified to discover that the students are secretly being put to work as child laborers and subjected to involuntary lab experiments.
Christina Dalcher is making her mark in the literary world by writing thought-provoking dystopian novels revolving around real issues. If you guessed that her 2020 novel Master Class delves into the harrowing world of eugenics, you would be correct. Eugenics concerns the elimination of certain people and groups considered to be inferior to others who are deemed superior. Think forced sterilization or prohibiting certain people to reproduce.
The concept of eugenics is brought forth in Master Class by way of the "Q Score." Every person is assigned a Q (quotient) Score which essentially determines their worth. What goes into a Q Score? If you're a child, it is mainly determined through testing and decides which school in the tiered system you will attend, which will further influence your future standing.
Master Class follows Dr. Elena Fairchild, a teacher at one of the more elite schools whose husband Malcolm is a key player in the Department of Education. You would think that with such superior parents, Elena and Malcolm's children would also excel, but such is not the case with little nine year old Freddie. When Freddie bombs a monthly assessment, she is whisked off to a state school that is on the lowest rung of the education ladder. Elena has always been a proponent of the scoring system, but her views change when it is her own daughter on the line ... is she willing to risk it all to save Freddie from her fate?
I love Christina Dalcher's books because she doesn't just build a dystopian world and plop you in it to sit back and mildly observe. No rather, she makes you think and question your own morals and judgments. Would you behave in the same manner as the characters? Do you agree with this world she has created? What would YOU do if you had to live this life? Master Class walks a fine ethical line because eugenics have come into play throughout history, and can even be observed in less obvious ways throughout America today. Master Class will surely make you ponder the past and consider the future. Just where do we draw the line when it comes to ranking and classing society?
Dystopian elements aside, Master Class is also a story about the fierce love between mother and child. No matter what they believe and no matter the consequences, most mothers would do anything to save their children, and Master Class is a testament to that. Readers who appreciate a strong mother-child bond in novels will empathize with Elena's attempts to save her daughter from a system whose origins she herself is deeply enmeshed in.
When speaking of plot and atmosphere, Dalcher deftly constructs this "new America," and lets world-building take the stage for a large part of this novel. I appreciate that because in the dystopia genre, readers have to imagine the world that the author is trying to convey and compare it to our present state. That can be difficult when there aren't enough details. With that said, I feel that Master Class should have been a longer book because the action in the story doesn't pick up until nearly the end, making the ending and reveal feel rushed.
Readers who enjoy speculative fiction rooted in history that explores the "what ifs" of life will like Dalcher's Master Class.
Availability: Book Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it) Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! Master Class
GENRE: Dystopian Fiction
WRITING STYLE: Compelling
TONE: Disturbing; Suspenseful; Thought-Provoking
SUBJECT: Boarding Schools; Child Labor; Education; Eugenics; Intelligence; Mothers and Daughters; Near Future; Secrets; Testing
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