The Pharmacist - Rachelle Atalla

Genre: Dystopian Fiction | Speculative Fiction

Release Date: Expected 12th May 2022

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Wolfe is lucky to be here in The Bunker. She and the other lucky ones who made it to the Bunker work tirelessly for the world above to heal and grow again, and look after the people down below. It's not perfect - living on bunks, with ration packs and constantly at risk of assault from the other dwellers, but they're alive.

For now, anyway. When their leader starts to take an interest in Wolfe, asking favours she can't deny, she starts to see another side of the Bunker that could change everything - it could be a new life for her, or it could be the spark that sets everything on fire.

This claustrophic, atmospheric novel takes place in an unnamed place and time, after an unnamed event - and the whole story carries on with this sense of timelessness and loneliness, a strange alienation that sets the tone from the first few pages. We hear only from Wolfe, her perspective on the Bunker and the letting the reader find out the secrets along with her. It has that modern prose style without speech marks, which definitely added to the tone but can be very off-putting for many readers.

This dystopian fiction is exciting and pacey, but provides all too realistic speculation about the disparity of power that those in charge could gain in devastating circumstances, and the danger that could pose. This is one of those stories that will make you wonder - what would you do if you were there? And how far would you go to survive in a world that wants to kill you?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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