SHADES OF GREY

TITLE: SHADES OF GREY
AUTHOR: JASPER FFORDE
Pages: 432
Date: 24/04/2010
Grade: 5-
Details: no. 1 Brunswick & deMauve
Library

Welcome to a weird and wacky world, one that could only have sprung from the mind of Jasper Fforde.
It's England, five centuries after "Something Happened" and the world is a very different place, and getting even further away from what we recognize through government orchestrated Leapbacks.
This is a place where you standing  and prospects depend on the amount and sort of colour you can see, where you are given or deducted merits based on conduct and losing too many of them will have you send to Reboot. A world where spoon production is forbidden and spoons become treasures, where the whole of life is based on centrally set rules, where questions and inquisitiveness will get you into trouble and being out at night will get you killed.
Eddie Russett demands little from life. His main aim is to marry Constance Oxblood to improve his family's colour standing and little little else.
This changes though when he and his fater move to East Carmine. There Eddie meets Jane, a troublesome grey whom he promptly falls in love with. And this love, combined with his natural curiosity leads him into trouble, opens his eyes to dark secrets and puts him on a path that will surely be hard and dangerous but might just lead to a better society.
In truth, this book is to unique to give a decent description of the story without giving too much away. This is an intriguing, funny, philosophical and deeply engrossing book that makes you look at society in a new way; "A Brave New World"  or "1984" with a smile is probably the best description I can come up with. Bring on book 2 and 3 quickly please.