THE MERGE by Grace Walker

4 stars

In a near future London ravaged by climate change and overpopulation, the government has partnered with an innovative technology company that created the ability to have two minds merge into one body, called The Merge. The idea is to reduce the population’s footprint which has grown too large for existing resources. The resulting people, known as Combines, have two hyphened names, a distinctive tattoo on their neck and wear all green clothing as a measure of increased social status.

The government has taken draconian economic measures to force these consolidations from the poor and middle class and punish those who refuse to combine. This includes excessive and endless taxes, back of the line status for everything from restaurants to university admissions, and taking away housing to move people into bleak, tiny government apartments. In a further big brother step to control the population, the government mandates pregnancy tests for all women on the first on each month. Intense protests have erupted throughout the country against this move to a totalitarian government, many in front of the Combine’s clinics.

Amelia Anderson, a talented videographer has used her skills to advance the cause of the protestors after losing her dad at one of the protests from which he never came home. She hatches a secret scheme to get an insider look at the Combine that will enable to expose it further when her beloved mother develops early onset Alzheimer’s disease. A new experimental trial of The Merge, which includes trying to merge someone sick with someone healthy as an attempt to cure the disease.

Amelia signs up herself with her mother Laurie, who join a small trial group of 3 other would-be-combines – one a younger brother to save his older brother from Leukemia, one a Dad to rescue his drug-addicted teen daughter, and one an unmarried couple who find themselves expecting a baby. All these mergers pose risks as they’ve never been done before.

Touchingly, chapters alternate from Laurie’s perspective, as she adamantly opposes merging with her daughter but also despairs at the care-giving hardship her daughter faces. Laurie’s also deeply concerned with Amelia cutting off her relationship with her live-in boyfriend to move in with her Mom and do the merge. During their three-month prep period for the merge, Laurie keeps a compelling journal to jog her memory but that also captures disturbing observations about forced mergers and potential unethical goings on.

Amelia has kept her journalism mission secret from her mom, who she knows is against the merge and assumes will pull them about before the prep period has ended. But a taut plot twist gets in her way, and the book moves from dystopia to intense thriller as Amelia and Laurie race to escape.

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.