Inside Out
by Maria V. Snyder
Harlequin, April, 2010
Young Adult, Science Fiction
Release date: April 1, 2010
I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.
I don’t typically read Young Adult (YA) fiction. At least, not since I was a YA–which was longer ago than I care to think about. The last YA books I read were the Harry Potter series, and I started those to see what all of the fuss was about. They were fun, but somewhere in the middle of the series the angst just exhausted me, and I had to slog through the remainder of the series so I could find out how it all wrapped up. I’ve carefully avoided the Twilight series because I fear the angst will just smother me.
So, I began INSIDE OUT with much caution, but quickly found myself sucked into a compelling science fiction, coming of age story.
Trella, at seventeen, is part of a self-contained world of ruthlessly regimented space and time. Citizens of this world are divided into two classes–Uppers and Lowers –and the classes never, ever mix. The Lowers are the worker bees of the world, referred to as ‘scrubs’ because of their role as cleaners. The Lowers live in cramped conditions, sleeping in shifts in massive barracks and working when they aren’t sleeping or eating. There is no recreation, no diversion in this society. The Lowers aren’t encouraged to think and aren’t even allowed to have a family –children are removed from their parents as newborns, collected and raised together by a Care Mother.
Trella hates her life as a Lower, and does everything that she can to escape the cramped and overcrowded living conditions on the lower levels. As a scrub responsible for cleaning the various water and air pipes, Trella uses the isolation of her job to distance herself from the scrub population –she even sleeps in remote corners of the piping systems. Trella is commonly known as the Queen of the Pipes, because there’s no corner she hasn’t explored, and because she’s also seen as a loaner by all except her one friend that she was raised with, Cogan.
When a new Prophet stirs up a false hope about the existence of the Gateway that offers escape to the Outside, and Cog appears about to become a dup to the tale, Trella decides to prove the Prophet wrong –and ends up setting into motion the opposite. Her forray to the Upper levels sets the Pop Cops (Population Police) after Trella, Cog and the Prophet in order to stop them.
This story is a fascinating exploration of what happens to a society when history is lost, propaganda is used to control large groups of people, the needs of society outweigh the needs of the individual, and a minority gains ultimate control over the majority. It’s a true exploration of awakening –both from the heroine’s point of view, as Trella learns that the scrubs are real, caring people that she’s been hiding from, and from the society’s standpoint, as the Lowers prove they’re not the mindless population they have always been portrayed (sheep is used extensively as a symbol).
And, best of all, Truella grows and evolves throughout this plot-driven story, discovering more about herself and the world around her than she ever suspected. And all of it is handled with bravery and courage. Not an ounce of angst to be found. There is much for a reader to discover about this world and its characters.
INSIDE OUT is a delightful read and I look forward to returning to this world when Ms. Snyder’s next novel, OUTSIDE IN, is release in the future.
Assessment: Highly Recommended
Notice: To comply FTC Guidelines, please be aware that this book was provided by the publisher as an ARC (advance reader’s copy) for review purposes via NetGalley.
