Amelia is a near-future equivalent of a millennial. Forced to quit school to take care of her ailing mother, she gets by living with her sister, doing "Friendrr" gigs, and selling her blood. It's a bleak life. When her wealthy ex-boyfriend comes around, things may be looking up, but he turns out to be engaged to someone else. Amelia has few prospects for a job, a career, or marital happiness, but she holds out home to, one day, go to Mars.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Prime Meridian is a thin little book, in more ways than one. Nothing about Amelia made me want to cheer her on in her dream to go to Mars. I don't think I would even want to hang out with her. I felt a little sorry for her, that she had to take care of her dying mother, and that she and her sister have such a bad relationship. But she mostly came across as a whiny victim, certainly not as a heroine.
Moreno-Garcia paints a believable picture of the near future world of Mexico City in all its gritty, miserable reality. Her subtle references to social trends, mores, and lifestyle give a sense of despair and hopelessness, but Amelia retains hope in the midst of this that she will get to Mars. This is an interesting little book in some ways, but I didn't like it all that much.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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