My edition: eBook
First published: 2014
Pages: 469
Source: Own copy
Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results.
Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school.
Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.
Thoughts: Thrilling, unique and ultimately frightening, Free to Fall follows the aptly named Aurora or ‘Rory’, a teenage heroine living a somewhat ‘normal’ life in a futuristic and tech obsessed society. Within this dystopian world, technology’s role in society is superior to humans themselves. Lux, the app which has taken over our modern day Apple and Google, mimics the conscience of humans, telling us what we desire, fear, love and hate. From coffee preferences to which topic you should study in class, Lux’s power over society is huge and ultimately threatening to 'update' the human race as we know it.
Character development is an important component within Free to Fall's storyline. With an introduction to Rory, our teenage narrator, is clear that she is alike the rest of this dystopian society; reliable on Lux, it’s ease of decision making, and the power of technology as a whole. This factor of the novel sparked my curiosity leading me to become captivated with Rory’s story. Initially, Rory is alike many in this dystopian society, whereby she openly allows Lux to act as her conscious. However, due to her decision to move schools and engaging herself in new social cliques, Rory decides that she doesn’t necessarily agree with Lux’s choices and therefore, she becomes accustomed to living without Lux's guidance. Rory's new negative perception on technology guides her to vision the society for what it really is; false. Rory witnesses humans who mimic robots and those who are glued to their handhelds, and I think most of us can agree that - although it is not as extreme - this scenario is just as common in our present day.
While it is the main foundation for its plot, technology wasn't the sole theme of Free to Fall. Family, discovering who you really are, new experiences, friendship and first loves are all equally presented throughout this novel which I also really enjoyed. I especially loved the romance between Rory and North. He was there in her time of need, and he (unlike many others) didn't believe in allowing technology to act as your own brain. He was a rebel, which usually I find aggravating as a character’s trait but in this circumstance it worked. Nonetheless, Rory was definitely my favourite character in this novel. Her background story was familiar (she was moving to a new school, Theden, also notoriously known for being 'the posh school') and I could relate to her feelings of being left out or feeling different, a loner in a flock of sheep. However, as the novel progresses, Rory’s story becomes more complicated and tangled, many different events take place at once which are all interlinked within one another. Due to this factor, I found my interest in this novel start to shift.
Because this novel is set in the future, it’s evident that the technology will have also been updated - however, I found that when the characters discussed the new technology the range of vocabulary used was dramatically different and subjective. In some cases, the updated versions of our everyday technology possessed extremely corny names. One prime example is the rename of WiFi to 'Lifi', which I couldn't help but cringe at. In other similar situations, the vocabulary used to describe this technology - especially from North, the techno whiz - was too complicated and therefore, I had a hard time understanding it. The main flaw in this novel though was the ending. The beginning of this novel showed promise but half way through, twists and turns started to appear on every page, so much so, that I felt Rory’s true character was replaced by a new one. Nothing was real anymore and nor was it a surprise.
Regardless of it’s slightly disappointing ending, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading Free to Fall. I was hooked to it’s futuristic storyline and I absolutely adored the beginning of the novel. I have my reservations, but there is no doubt that Free to Fall and it's underlying message, is a real eye opener.
My rating: ★★★★
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