Metronome by Tom Watson

A cold chill creeps from this book. There is no warmth in the tone and I found the main characters cold and selfish. For twelve years Aina and Whitney have been in exile on an island for a crime they committed together. They have been left in a croft with a pill dispenser that releases a pill for each of them every eight hours. If they fail to take their pills at the correct time, they will die within a few minutes because of the toxic bacteria that rises from the island.

The Warden collected them from the mainland and took them for processing, then they were blindfolded and taken by boat to the island where they must stay for twelve years before they will be eligible for parole. After that time there will be an assessment that takes the form of a test of their loyalty, and the tests are different for everyone, so they will never know what is part of the test and what isn't.

It's not badly written, and it has been selected as one of the books for Between the Covers on BBC TWO, so it must have something going for it, but it's just not my sort of thing. Read it if you feel your levels of despondency need topping up - or should that be pushed down? Well, whatever, this will not fill you with unalloyed joy.

Comments

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