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Clive is my favorite thing in this series. Still fighting, although even he has to acknowledge that iMe is doing his health some good. On the other side, he is losing his love, Zoe’s mother, to this religious tribe. The way he cares for people, his ‘ancient’ views on what is, what was, and what’s wrong with his surroundings make for such thought-provoking material!
You can’t have a proper hero without sidekicks. Zoe and Ava are splendid, full of life, and balance Clive’s old ways with their freshness. They moved me with their own issues, their needs and hopes. Most of all, they kept my faith in humankind alive. Young but not devoid of opinion and ready to have a clear look on any matter, they prove there might be a right equilibrium between before and after technology brought the UK to the next level.
I found it very clever from the author to have this government-religion-politics triangle at the heart of an explosive and dangerous case. Death doesn’t have the same meaning for everyone and some (many!) use it at their advantage. You can count on those in power to have an agenda and use all they can grab to make their point.
Tension is all around, coming from different angles, but it is not the sole foundation of the book. There is a deeper exploration of our society and the relationships we have. Clive brings a whole range of emotions to the story, without soaking the pages with whining and endless ‘it was better before.’ Pain also visits and it stings, it left me speechless, horrified, heart-broken. Yes, No Signal is a piano on which our fingers are led to play a perfect melody.
I don’t think there is one thing I disliked in this novel. One thing I would say is it was difficult to part with this world. The ending surprised me. Of course, I knew the author would not have his creation destroyed and the country back to something resembling what we know as normal. I had no good idea on how to conclude the novel and tie all the knots. Am I satisfied with my goodbye to Clive and the iMe world? In a way, yes. There is no way back, but there is hope. However, after all this fight and all the turmoil of the chapters I’d just been through, I somehow yearned for something… Except I don’t know what! I guess I’m clingy and it takes time to accept open endings!
No Signal is an outstanding piece of writing. More than just another dystopian novel, it is a perfect example of how important limits are. I had the best time reading it and recommend both Proximity and No Signal to everyone who is looking for a gateway to the future.
Read the full review:
https://chocolatenwaffles.com/2020/05/28/please-log-in-nosignal-by-jem-tugwell-jemtugwell-serpentinebooks-blogtour/