Notes

a novel
Justin Cronin.
538 pages.
On cover: The world is not the world.
Summary: Life on the island archipelago of Prospera is everything a person could hope for. Founded by the mythical genius known as the Designer, Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, vigorous, and fulfilling lives -- that is until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. When that happens, they retire themselves, embarking on a short ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean and they are readied to restart life afresh. Proctor Bennett, Managing Director of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding the elderly through the retirement process and when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he's been dreaming, which is supposed to be impossible. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry. Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group known as Arrivalists who may be fomenting revolution. Soon enough, Proctor finds his fate entangled with a cause much bigger than he realised, and the world he inhabits is shattered. Before he knows it, he will find himself questioning everything he once believed, and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth. (Publisher)