Q by Dalcher Christina: thought-provoking & interesting

Q is a novel about the the lives of a society that lay emphasis on their Q scores— a performance quotient of everyone of school or working age—where being mediocre throws one into not-preferred jobs like working in supermarkets. Book reviewers view the book as a dystopian fiction—I agree. The zeitgeist of the characters in the novel okays social segregation as failure is perceived contagious. With the development of AI, the book appears to be a projection into reality and the future. The writing is sprightly and natural. The story is about the fictional character Elena, the protagonist, a teacher with a high Q rating, her Q obsessed family and a slice of their lives. The first-person narration becomes heart-touching as we complete one third of the book, when one of El’s daughters suddenly ends up with a low Q and is pushed from a silver school to a state school, and their lives take a sombre slump. Some chapters are about El’s past—and those are interesting, as well. The second half of the book is a thriller as El begins uncovering truth about state schools along with facing appallingly bad experiences. The book is deep and evokes concern about a society that places emphasis only on excellence leaving aside worthiness in the human community. Overall, a good read.