Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Rating: Wide Eyed - 4/5

Release Date: March 24th, 2009

Publishers: McClelland & Stewart

Pages: 185

Source: Bought

Series: Stand Alone

First, a quick summary from Goodreads: 

“‘Explain to us why you wish to enter The Academy.’” 

Anaximander, a young Academy candidate, is put through a gruelling exam. Her special subject: the life of Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. 

It’s late in the 21st century and the island Republic has emerged from a ruined, plague-ridden world, its citizens safe, but not free, and living in complete isolation from outside contact. Approaching planes are gunned down, refugees shot on sight.

Until a man named Adam Forde rescued a girl from the sea.

“Anaximander, we have asked you to consider why it is you would like to join the Academy. Is your answer ready?”

To answer that question, Anaximander must struggle with everything she has ever known about herself and her beloved Republic’s history, the nature of being human, of being conscious, and even what it means to have a soul.

And when everything has been laid bare, she must confront the Republic’s last great secret, her own surprising link to Adam Forde, and the horrifying truth about her world."

Genesis packs quite a large punch for such a small book. Touching upon issues such as Ethics, Morals and what it means to be human, Genesis proved to be a really amazing and insightful read for me.

Anax is a girl with a particular interest in Adam Forde. Continuously, Anax visits a hill side to watch the sunset so she can feel more connected to her idol of the past.  One day, she meets a man up there who also has an interest in Adam Forde and he begins to tutor her for the Academy.

This is the story of - not only Anax's audition for the Academy - but also a re-telling of the story of Anax's hero, Adam Forde.

During the audition Anax has three breaks when she gets to re-collect her thoughts, and the judges converse with each other to see in which direction the questioning should be done.

DUring the questioning periods is when you get to know Adam's story and a little bit of how Anax thinks, but for the most part we get to know Anax during the breaks. Where she came from, why she has a love for Adam and why she wants to get into the Academy.

I think that's what made the ending for Genesis all the more epic/awesome/surprising for me. How completely and incredibly ironic the ending was for Anax.

Genesis is a book I would easily recommend to anyone who likes those reads that leave a big impression on you for quite a while.