The Limit

Author: Kristen Landon

Rating: * (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")

Recommended with Reservations

Audience: Middle School

This first novel by Kristen Landon begins with a somewhat choppy plot sequence and some choppy, colloquial dialogue. But the author has created a believable near-future America where debt, senseless consumerism and an over-reaching central government combine to create provocative philosophical and ethical questions for characters and readers.

Matthew Dunston is a carefree 13-year old math genius who is suddenly whisked away to a government workhouse after his family unexpectedly exceeds their pre-determined spending limit.

The workhouse is presented as a fair, reasonable way for family members to help work their families out of debt, but of course in Matt's case, someone isn't playing fair. It's up to Matt and his new acquaintances to solve the mystery, and that will involve navigating moral dilemmas.

I have some mild complaints about the novel. One disappointment is that it focused more on irresponsible parent behavior than on over-reaching government. I was pleased someone decided to address consumerism, debt, desensitized shopping habits and even Ponzi schemes in a teen novel. But I have to disagree with books that don't offer kids at least one or two decent adult role models. We're told parents are the most influential people in young teens' lives, but not many authors are backing us up.

I certainly appreciated the ethical fortitude of the main characters: "I'd rather find out the truth...no matter what the consequences are." "This has to do with right and wrong." But I wonder how they developed this conscience in the absence of adult example and influence. Perhaps an innate moral compass does in fact exist in the human psyche, despite athiestic claims to the contrary.

Parts of the novel are a little unbelievable. As clever and intelligent as these teens are supposed to be (witness their computer hacking abilities), it took 75% of the book before they really began to questions the legitimacy of the workhouse and the trustworthiness of its adults. In contrast, my 5th grader could pick out the "bad guy" by the 5th chapter. Likewise, the techie-geek main character barely questioned the inability of his cell phone and email to function during his incarceration. I suppose some logic had to be sacrificed to advance the plot. I find this a frequent shortfall in most science fiction.

Finally, I found the ending less than satisfying. Matt remains at the "reformed" (think new and improved) workhouse to continue working off his family's debt in a more fair arrangement.

Where's the moral outrage?! Where's the First Amendment, not to mention the entire Constitution and the rest of the Bill of Rights?! Where's the Tea Party and Thomas Jefferson?! I suppose that's the twist Landon was employing: that personal freedoms could be so quickly and easily eroded in the not-too-distant future.

Unfortunately, that was a nuance missed by my trusting 5th grader. She thought the new workhouse arrangement sounded pretty reasonable. This explains why the novel would be best used in conjunction with a middle school civics class. The glaring infractions against the balance between personal freedom and government influence are best covered with the right audience.