What do you think?
Rate this book
The Transition
What do you do with a generation who’ve had everything, but still can’t grow up?
Perhaps this is you. Perhaps you still owe your student loan, and make jokes about how you’ll never pay it back, so it’s easy to ignore. We know. Perhaps you spend more than you earn. Perhaps you still live with your parents. We know. Perhaps those ignored bills and reminders have become threats and court summonses. We know, and we can help.
Welcome to The Transition.
While taking part in The Transition you and your partner will spend six months living under the supervision of your mentors, two successful adults of a slightly older generation. Freed from your financial responsibilities, you will be coached through the key areas of the scheme Employment, Nutrition, Responsibility, Relationship, Finances and Self-Respect until you are ready to be reintegrated into adult society.
At the end of your six months who knows what discoveries you’ll have made about yourself? The friends’ you no longer need. The talents you’ll have found time to nurture. The business you might have kick-started.
Who knows where you’ll be?
Perhaps this is you. Perhaps you still owe your student loan, and make jokes about how you’ll never pay it back, so it’s easy to ignore. We know. Perhaps you spend more than you earn. Perhaps you still live with your parents. We know. Perhaps those ignored bills and reminders have become threats and court summonses. We know, and we can help.
Welcome to The Transition.
While taking part in The Transition you and your partner will spend six months living under the supervision of your mentors, two successful adults of a slightly older generation. Freed from your financial responsibilities, you will be coached through the key areas of the scheme Employment, Nutrition, Responsibility, Relationship, Finances and Self-Respect until you are ready to be reintegrated into adult society.
At the end of your six months who knows what discoveries you’ll have made about yourself? The friends’ you no longer need. The talents you’ll have found time to nurture. The business you might have kick-started.
Who knows where you’ll be?
328 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 2017
44 people are currently reading
1349 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
February 9, 2017
We never find out when exactly The Transition is set, but let's say it's 10 or 15 years from now, and its protagonists, Karl and Genevieve, are a vaguely nightmarish but entirely plausible vision of how many university-educated millennials might expect to end up. In their mid-thirties, they're married and have reasonably well-paid jobs – Genevieve's a teacher, Karl's rather more dubious career involves ghostwriting students' essays and fake product reviews – but they're still renting a room in a shared house, both have massive amounts of credit card debt, and don't feel they can afford to have kids. When Karl's card-skimming leads to a conviction for fraud, he's offered a place on a scheme called 'The Transition' in lieu of a prison sentence. It means he and Genevieve will spend six months living with a pair of older 'mentors' who'll help them get their lives back on track; at the end of it, they're promised reduced debts, a downpayment on a 'dream home', and improvements in everything from their health to their marriage. Of course, he takes it.
I'm not the first reviewer to liken this book to Black Mirror – the ingenious-yet-credible technology in the background (driverless taxis, fridges that automatically reorder food) makes it a natural comparison – and I certainly won't be the last, but The Transition also belongs to a longer tradition of novels warning of the dangers of our immediate future and the horror of conformity. Stories like these often hinge on the idea that to live happily in the future society, one must adhere rigidly to an accepted set of behaviours; that humanity is lost in the march towards technological progress. And so it goes here: as the initially resistant Genevieve is gradually seduced by the benefits of the scheme, Karl is undone by his curiosity. His natural instinct to explore the mentors' home backfires when he discovers a locked cellar. And then a URL carved into the floor. And then a rumour about The Transition being based on a banned novel...
The interesting thing about The Transition, however, is that it isn't a condemnation: contrary to expectations, there's no preaching. What's particularly clever is that it's repeatedly anticlimactic, second-guessing its audience's anticipation of conspiracies, villains and shocking twists at every turn. All this at the same time as keeping the level of intrigue consistently high, throwing in new reasons for Karl to be suspicious of everyone around him, and introducing supporting characters who are used in brilliantly unpredictable ways. It all feels effortless, but when you step back and think about it, a stupendous balancing act is being pulled off here.
In the end, as one character says, 'isn't the real lesson here that we're not very nice and we don't give a shit about each other?' It might not be the most inspiring message, but the way The Transition presents it makes a sardonic, warped and honest sort of sense. Regardless of the world they live in, these people are just people, doing things human beings have always done to survive and to protect those they love. The bad guys are just as human as the good guys. And even if our heroes behave awfully – as Karl and Genevieve both do, in very different ways – we can't help but root for them.
I received an advance review copy of The Transition from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
I'm not the first reviewer to liken this book to Black Mirror – the ingenious-yet-credible technology in the background (driverless taxis, fridges that automatically reorder food) makes it a natural comparison – and I certainly won't be the last, but The Transition also belongs to a longer tradition of novels warning of the dangers of our immediate future and the horror of conformity. Stories like these often hinge on the idea that to live happily in the future society, one must adhere rigidly to an accepted set of behaviours; that humanity is lost in the march towards technological progress. And so it goes here: as the initially resistant Genevieve is gradually seduced by the benefits of the scheme, Karl is undone by his curiosity. His natural instinct to explore the mentors' home backfires when he discovers a locked cellar. And then a URL carved into the floor. And then a rumour about The Transition being based on a banned novel...
The interesting thing about The Transition, however, is that it isn't a condemnation: contrary to expectations, there's no preaching. What's particularly clever is that it's repeatedly anticlimactic, second-guessing its audience's anticipation of conspiracies, villains and shocking twists at every turn. All this at the same time as keeping the level of intrigue consistently high, throwing in new reasons for Karl to be suspicious of everyone around him, and introducing supporting characters who are used in brilliantly unpredictable ways. It all feels effortless, but when you step back and think about it, a stupendous balancing act is being pulled off here.
In the end, as one character says, 'isn't the real lesson here that we're not very nice and we don't give a shit about each other?' It might not be the most inspiring message, but the way The Transition presents it makes a sardonic, warped and honest sort of sense. Regardless of the world they live in, these people are just people, doing things human beings have always done to survive and to protect those they love. The bad guys are just as human as the good guys. And even if our heroes behave awfully – as Karl and Genevieve both do, in very different ways – we can't help but root for them.
I received an advance review copy of The Transition from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
March 26, 2017
Karl Temperley has got himself into a spot of bother. In an attempt to pay his eye-watering credit card debt, he became involved in an online scam operation and stands charged with fraud. Facing prison time, he is offered salvation in the form of a little-known program called The Transition, "a helping hand for the younger generation." Along with his wife Genevieve, he is required to live rent-free in the house of a slightly older couple called Stuart and Janna, who will teach them how to be adults. They are assigned new jobs and urged to complete daily journal entries but after six months they are free to go. Sounds too good to be true, right? Genevieve excels in this new scheme but Karl is much more sceptical. Why is the message 'not_all_transition' scratched into the bed post? What's that crying noise coming from the house next door? And what's going on in the locked basement?
Set in the near future of autonomous cars and self-stocking fridges, The Transition serves as a cautionary tale for the direction society is headed in. In their own eyes, Karl and Genevieve work hard and have relatively well-paid jobs but they can barely afford to exist. They believe they are doing everything they can to get by. But the founders of The Transition see the likes of them as underachievers, "a generation... determined to self-destruct through petty crime, alcohol abuse and financial incompetence; a generation who didn't vote; who had given up on making any kind of contribution to society and blamed anyone but themselves for it."
This fast-paced, clever story has a fascinating set-up but it is let down by an underwhelming finale. Karl's showdown with The Transition falls a little flat and it felt like Luke Kennard was unsure of how to wrap things up. I did enjoy the sardonic musings on millennial culture and the shades of Black Mirror in the novel's unsettling futuristic atmosphere. Best of all though, was the moving exploration of Genevieve's depression and how the couple coped with her shattering illness. A harrowing breakdown at a motorway service station was a real stand-out scene for me. I may retain some reservations about the third act but The Transition is still a witty and intelligent parable about the pressures of life in the modern world.
Set in the near future of autonomous cars and self-stocking fridges, The Transition serves as a cautionary tale for the direction society is headed in. In their own eyes, Karl and Genevieve work hard and have relatively well-paid jobs but they can barely afford to exist. They believe they are doing everything they can to get by. But the founders of The Transition see the likes of them as underachievers, "a generation... determined to self-destruct through petty crime, alcohol abuse and financial incompetence; a generation who didn't vote; who had given up on making any kind of contribution to society and blamed anyone but themselves for it."
This fast-paced, clever story has a fascinating set-up but it is let down by an underwhelming finale. Karl's showdown with The Transition falls a little flat and it felt like Luke Kennard was unsure of how to wrap things up. I did enjoy the sardonic musings on millennial culture and the shades of Black Mirror in the novel's unsettling futuristic atmosphere. Best of all though, was the moving exploration of Genevieve's depression and how the couple coped with her shattering illness. A harrowing breakdown at a motorway service station was a real stand-out scene for me. I may retain some reservations about the third act but The Transition is still a witty and intelligent parable about the pressures of life in the modern world.
February 16, 2017
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08crt6pDescription: An intriguing and wry debut novel about capitalism, the housing crisis and a generation in debt. Set a few years from now, in an unnamed city, award-winning poet Luke Kennard imagines what life might be like for young people from the squeezed middle-class if our society continues along its current economic path.
Thirty-something couple Karl and Genevieve (he writes copy for online content providers, she is a primary teacher) live in a room in a shared house; their combined income is less than their rent and they're falling ever deeper into debt. To help pay off his seventeen credit cards, Karl accepts a job generating 'clickbait' from a stranger online that seems to good to be true. It is. Very soon the messy strands of his and Genevieve's lives are beginning to unravel.
As with the real life transition, the behaviours here are straight out of the Machiavellian playbook - gas-lighting, dividing to conquer. Yep, this is not enjoyable at all, yet when have we been too squeamish to entertain the ugly? 
January 5, 2018
I remember, within the first couple of chapters, I found myself thinking, "Oh no, I've picked up another dystopian waste of potential. I've picked up another The Circle."
I kept reading, because there were two aspects of The Transition that I really liked and these same aspects caused me to give the novel that extra star: firstly, I liked the exploration of Karl and Genevieve's troubled lives as a married pair of under-achieving millennials; secondly, I thought I was going to like the secondary storyline involving Genevieve's mental health, but unfortunately I didn't quite like how this plotline developed.
To put it bluntly, anything to do with the novel's core focus, the dystopian aspect, was terrible and underwhelming. I think, perhaps, Kennard would have done better focusing on the domestic drama and real-person stories, as I don't think he handled the dystopian theme well and, unfortunately, that was of course the core focus of the entire novel. The ending in particular was weak. Utterly anti-climatic and devoid of any impact. Even before the conclusion, I was unimpressed by the characterisation, dialogue and handling of plot, but it was the ending that really left me underwhelmed. I possibly should have followed my new year's resolution and abandoned this earlier. Oops.
I kept reading, because there were two aspects of The Transition that I really liked and these same aspects caused me to give the novel that extra star: firstly, I liked the exploration of Karl and Genevieve's troubled lives as a married pair of under-achieving millennials; secondly, I thought I was going to like the secondary storyline involving Genevieve's mental health, but unfortunately I didn't quite like how this plotline developed.
To put it bluntly, anything to do with the novel's core focus, the dystopian aspect, was terrible and underwhelming. I think, perhaps, Kennard would have done better focusing on the domestic drama and real-person stories, as I don't think he handled the dystopian theme well and, unfortunately, that was of course the core focus of the entire novel. The ending in particular was weak. Utterly anti-climatic and devoid of any impact. Even before the conclusion, I was unimpressed by the characterisation, dialogue and handling of plot, but it was the ending that really left me underwhelmed. I possibly should have followed my new year's resolution and abandoned this earlier. Oops.
March 27, 2017
I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to he author, Luke Kennard, and the publisher, Fourth Estate, for this opportunity.
This is a haunting insight into how our very close future lives could be led. Karl and Genevieve have been married for four years and been in debt for almost as long. Struggling to connect with a ever-increasingly online world and to consolidate their dwindling finances, their lives are burdened by stress. The Transition could be the answer to all their woes. This programme manages every aspect of the applicants' lives, in the hopes of churning out future versions of themselves that are well-equipped to handle society, their relationship and their own mental well-being.
I have to admit that I found the structure of this programme very alluring. There was something definitely spooky and yet altogether soothing about allowing a computer programme, and those with seemingly more knowledge in your own life, to take full control of all your struggles and woes. I was unlike the central characters in that way, as they entered the programme full of doubts and misgivings.
This novel follows in a line of dystopian imaginings of how our future world might look, and I found this to be not as bleak and unsettling as many others I have read. There was definitely an eerie atmosphere that haunted the book, but I found, for the most part, to agree with much of what was suggested.
The sinister turn of events divorced me from these feelings and yet I found them not as actually sinister as I had been expecting. I read the entirety of this awaiting for some dark happening. There was a realisation that not all was what it initially appeared, but this wasn't as big a shock as I had anticipated. This left me wondering what the whole point of this was? I enjoyed reading it, but without a thrilling climax it felt, dare I say it, a little pointless!
I found the ending to be an altogether unsatisfactory one. The protagonist was unlikable but a perspective I could bear, until he started to voice some startling concerns about his wife's mental illness. I found his approach to her mental health to be very demeaning and this aspect of his character wasn't given a chance to be reprieved. There was no grand awakening or heightened understanding and the ending allowed him to believe his micro-managing of another's illness to be the correct course of action. I was angered by this and it ruined all my previous enjoyment of the book.
This is a haunting insight into how our very close future lives could be led. Karl and Genevieve have been married for four years and been in debt for almost as long. Struggling to connect with a ever-increasingly online world and to consolidate their dwindling finances, their lives are burdened by stress. The Transition could be the answer to all their woes. This programme manages every aspect of the applicants' lives, in the hopes of churning out future versions of themselves that are well-equipped to handle society, their relationship and their own mental well-being.
I have to admit that I found the structure of this programme very alluring. There was something definitely spooky and yet altogether soothing about allowing a computer programme, and those with seemingly more knowledge in your own life, to take full control of all your struggles and woes. I was unlike the central characters in that way, as they entered the programme full of doubts and misgivings.
This novel follows in a line of dystopian imaginings of how our future world might look, and I found this to be not as bleak and unsettling as many others I have read. There was definitely an eerie atmosphere that haunted the book, but I found, for the most part, to agree with much of what was suggested.
The sinister turn of events divorced me from these feelings and yet I found them not as actually sinister as I had been expecting. I read the entirety of this awaiting for some dark happening. There was a realisation that not all was what it initially appeared, but this wasn't as big a shock as I had anticipated. This left me wondering what the whole point of this was? I enjoyed reading it, but without a thrilling climax it felt, dare I say it, a little pointless!
I found the ending to be an altogether unsatisfactory one. The protagonist was unlikable but a perspective I could bear, until he started to voice some startling concerns about his wife's mental illness. I found his approach to her mental health to be very demeaning and this aspect of his character wasn't given a chance to be reprieved. There was no grand awakening or heightened understanding and the ending allowed him to believe his micro-managing of another's illness to be the correct course of action. I was angered by this and it ruined all my previous enjoyment of the book.
February 7, 2017
It's been a long time since I've been this disappointed in a book.
The premise is great (and the entire reason why I'm rating it 2 stars instead of one) - Instead of going to jail gen-Y people are sometimes offered the opportunity to go into a program to be placed with a gen-x couple who will basically tell them all the things they're doing wrong with their lives (financially, mentally, physically, martialy, etc). Really interesting idea right?
This book was written in a very specific style which I hate on a personal level, so I'm pretty unforgiving of the whole thing. I feel like there were major flaws in the plot, characterisation, pacing, dialogue. A lot of the choices the writer made were unnecessarily sensational and occasionally didn't really make sense or were poorly explored. Also, I hate the cover.
The only reason I read it cover to cover was so that I could review it in good conscience knowing that I'd given it a fair go first.
The premise is great (and the entire reason why I'm rating it 2 stars instead of one) - Instead of going to jail gen-Y people are sometimes offered the opportunity to go into a program to be placed with a gen-x couple who will basically tell them all the things they're doing wrong with their lives (financially, mentally, physically, martialy, etc). Really interesting idea right?
This book was written in a very specific style which I hate on a personal level, so I'm pretty unforgiving of the whole thing. I feel like there were major flaws in the plot, characterisation, pacing, dialogue. A lot of the choices the writer made were unnecessarily sensational and occasionally didn't really make sense or were poorly explored. Also, I hate the cover.
The only reason I read it cover to cover was so that I could review it in good conscience knowing that I'd given it a fair go first.
March 6, 2017
Interesting premise and set-up, with a protagonist I can relate to all too well, but an ultimately unsatisfying ending. It could have been far more dystopian, or else delivered a much stronger twist.
January 30, 2018
I heard Luke Kennard on an episode of BBC Radio 4’s 'Open Book' discussing dystopian fiction and so was inspired to read his debut novel The Transition.
The Transition has an interesting and intriguing premise. Set in Britain in, at a guess, the early 2020s, with driverless cars and self-stocking fridges now a reality. Needless to say, the Government have still not go to grips with the housing crisis which is worse than ever. Karl and his wife, Genevieve, struggle to make ends meet. Living in a rented conservatory, their outgoings exceed their income until finally Karl gets convicted of online fraud. To avoid a jail sentence, Karl and Genevieve are offered a way out - The Transition. They are required to live with their mentors, an older couple, and learn how to take control of their lives. Needless to say The Transition may not be quite as "gift-horsey" as it first appears.
The best scenes involve the interactions between Karl and Genevieve and their mentors, the smugly successful Stuart and Janna.
The Transition is rich with great ideas and the overarching narrative is very compelling, however the plot has a few too many digressions and occasionally stretches credulity just a little too far which made for an uneven read. It's enjoyable, entertaining and insightful, and - taken on its own terms - as a slice of dystopian fiction, it works well. I look forward to reading more books by Luke Kennard.
The Transition by Luke Kennard
The Transition has an interesting and intriguing premise. Set in Britain in, at a guess, the early 2020s, with driverless cars and self-stocking fridges now a reality. Needless to say, the Government have still not go to grips with the housing crisis which is worse than ever. Karl and his wife, Genevieve, struggle to make ends meet. Living in a rented conservatory, their outgoings exceed their income until finally Karl gets convicted of online fraud. To avoid a jail sentence, Karl and Genevieve are offered a way out - The Transition. They are required to live with their mentors, an older couple, and learn how to take control of their lives. Needless to say The Transition may not be quite as "gift-horsey" as it first appears.
The best scenes involve the interactions between Karl and Genevieve and their mentors, the smugly successful Stuart and Janna.
The Transition is rich with great ideas and the overarching narrative is very compelling, however the plot has a few too many digressions and occasionally stretches credulity just a little too far which made for an uneven read. It's enjoyable, entertaining and insightful, and - taken on its own terms - as a slice of dystopian fiction, it works well. I look forward to reading more books by Luke Kennard.
The Transition by Luke Kennard
March 10, 2018
I was very impressed by this intelligent, funny debut novel by Luke Kennard. The Transition takes place in a slightly distorted/exaggerated world. But things are only slightly off, which is what makes it such great social commentary. Kennard's vision of the near future feels believable and prescient. And a plausible dystopia is oh-so-scary and fun to ponder.
Karl and Genevieve are a couple in their early thirties. They live in a tiny bedsit and struggle to make ends meet. When Karl unwittingly becomes part of a fraud scheme at work, he's given two options: go to prison for fifteen months or take part in The Transition for six months. The Transition is a rehabilitation program for struggling young couples to learn how to be responsible adults and successful members of the workforce. The couple moves in with a mentor couple a little bit older than them. The mentors coach them in self-improvement before they're released back into society. As graduates of The Transition have high success rates as entrepreneurs and it seems better than prison, Karl and Genevieve enroll in The Transition. What at first seems like a great opportunity soon shows itself to be very controlling and insidious. Karl begins investigating The Transition and uncovers some disturbing things.
The Transition is a droll satire that also contains exciting elements of mystery. The exact time period is never disclosed. Technology is slightly more advanced and some things exist which aren't present in the real world. It seems like Karl and Genevieve are millennials ten years from now. Though it's set in the future, the topics within are very relevant to contemporary life. In addition to being funny, the novel is also creepy and weird. The underlying feeling of menace is very well done.
While at first glance the characters may seem unlikable, they're actually very complicated. I thought they were well-drawn and multi-layered. The characters are armed with clever comebacks and witty repartee. I enjoyed the dialogue and character exchanges. There's a cryptic nature to what's said and a subtext that's fun to decipher. Kennard explores language and word choice and the way people talk. There's a running theme of authenticity in speech versus hiding behind words. The people in this book are slightly out of sync with reality which helps maintain the strange mood.
This is a page-turner because throughout The Transition you want to know what it all means. The prose is also a pleasure to read. Luke Kennard supports my theory that poets make excellent novelists. I loved the way he puts things. The novel is full of vivid, unusual descriptions and spot-on observations. This eerie and humorous dystopian novel is well worth the read.
Karl and Genevieve are a couple in their early thirties. They live in a tiny bedsit and struggle to make ends meet. When Karl unwittingly becomes part of a fraud scheme at work, he's given two options: go to prison for fifteen months or take part in The Transition for six months. The Transition is a rehabilitation program for struggling young couples to learn how to be responsible adults and successful members of the workforce. The couple moves in with a mentor couple a little bit older than them. The mentors coach them in self-improvement before they're released back into society. As graduates of The Transition have high success rates as entrepreneurs and it seems better than prison, Karl and Genevieve enroll in The Transition. What at first seems like a great opportunity soon shows itself to be very controlling and insidious. Karl begins investigating The Transition and uncovers some disturbing things.
The Transition is a droll satire that also contains exciting elements of mystery. The exact time period is never disclosed. Technology is slightly more advanced and some things exist which aren't present in the real world. It seems like Karl and Genevieve are millennials ten years from now. Though it's set in the future, the topics within are very relevant to contemporary life. In addition to being funny, the novel is also creepy and weird. The underlying feeling of menace is very well done.
While at first glance the characters may seem unlikable, they're actually very complicated. I thought they were well-drawn and multi-layered. The characters are armed with clever comebacks and witty repartee. I enjoyed the dialogue and character exchanges. There's a cryptic nature to what's said and a subtext that's fun to decipher. Kennard explores language and word choice and the way people talk. There's a running theme of authenticity in speech versus hiding behind words. The people in this book are slightly out of sync with reality which helps maintain the strange mood.
This is a page-turner because throughout The Transition you want to know what it all means. The prose is also a pleasure to read. Luke Kennard supports my theory that poets make excellent novelists. I loved the way he puts things. The novel is full of vivid, unusual descriptions and spot-on observations. This eerie and humorous dystopian novel is well worth the read.
March 1, 2018
Intriguing novel set in a near future (driverless taxis, smart fridges etc), with a likeable jack the lad, Karl, writing students' essays (Study Sherpas), reviewing products he's never used (for money), who ends up on 'The Transition', an alternative to jail. This involves living with his wife, a teacher, with another couple for six months who mentor them to be good citizens. This includes work on nutrition, physical well being, self respect etc. But there's more to it than that, and Karl gradually uncovers a sinister side to the programme while his wife falls under the influence of the persuasive and manipulative couple. As with all good dystopias there is acute comment on today's problems, particularly the housing/accommodation travails of Generation Rent, and technology controlling rather than enhancing our lives. It's drily funny, acute in observation and a page turner. Enjoyed it muchly, particularly the many literary references, and glad to know I have such a good writer (he's also an award winning poet) as a near neighbour.
March 25, 2019
This is one of the only books I've ever read that I considered 'unputdownable' - I walked along the street to college reading it! I found the main concept intriguing, and it was both funny and very sad in places.
I'd grown fairly tired of 'dystopian' novels after reading dozens of mediocre dystopian YA books; however I picked this book up despite that (partly due to the cover I have to admit!), and I'm glad I did. Kennard makes the dystopian setting compelling because it is a near-future England - there are far more similarities than differences between the society of the novel and our current society. The experiences of the protagonists are an exaggeration of the experiences of millenials in the UK today, e.g. the housing crisis. The main difference is the presence of a mysterious organisation called The Transition.
The most impressive thing about this book, I thought, is how original and compelling the plot is, despite the novel being based on quite a simple idea. The basic premise is that Karl and his wife Genevieve have run into some financial, legal and personal problems. Their lives are beginning to look a little messy. Suddenly, out of the blue The Transition appears. Karl and Genevieve have to go and live with a couple who effectively mentor them until they get their lives back on track. The weeks go on, but Karl is never able to quiet his suspicions about The Transition.
The plot is consistently intriguing and well paced. There are many unexpected turns without it feeling like plot twists are being tossed in randomly to shock the reader. The book is almost teasing: there are several points where the reader begins to suspect it is building up to something, and it turns out it was building up to something completely different. It's gripping: the reader is left constantly changing their mind about who the 'good guys' are: is The Transition really as sinister as it seems? Or is Karl just being paranoid and cynical?
I found the characters engaging and sympathetic (though definitely flawed), particularly Karl. Mental illness is one aspect of the plot, and I thought it was done very well.
I'd grown fairly tired of 'dystopian' novels after reading dozens of mediocre dystopian YA books; however I picked this book up despite that (partly due to the cover I have to admit!), and I'm glad I did. Kennard makes the dystopian setting compelling because it is a near-future England - there are far more similarities than differences between the society of the novel and our current society. The experiences of the protagonists are an exaggeration of the experiences of millenials in the UK today, e.g. the housing crisis. The main difference is the presence of a mysterious organisation called The Transition.
The most impressive thing about this book, I thought, is how original and compelling the plot is, despite the novel being based on quite a simple idea. The basic premise is that Karl and his wife Genevieve have run into some financial, legal and personal problems. Their lives are beginning to look a little messy. Suddenly, out of the blue The Transition appears. Karl and Genevieve have to go and live with a couple who effectively mentor them until they get their lives back on track. The weeks go on, but Karl is never able to quiet his suspicions about The Transition.
The plot is consistently intriguing and well paced. There are many unexpected turns without it feeling like plot twists are being tossed in randomly to shock the reader. The book is almost teasing: there are several points where the reader begins to suspect it is building up to something, and it turns out it was building up to something completely different. It's gripping: the reader is left constantly changing their mind about who the 'good guys' are: is The Transition really as sinister as it seems? Or is Karl just being paranoid and cynical?
I found the characters engaging and sympathetic (though definitely flawed), particularly Karl. Mental illness is one aspect of the plot, and I thought it was done very well.
February 18, 2017
This was broken into 10, 15-minute segments. The story held my attention more or less until the end, which was anti-climactic. The book was delivered as sort of a thriller, but now I wonder if it's supposed to be more of a statement on society, relationships... something to make us take a deeper look at ourselves. Or maybe it's supposed to be a modern romance? Because my reaction to the end was sort of, "Oh.... Okay." Yesss??? And then...?? The focus of the ending seemed to be more on the relationship between Genevieve and Karl, rather than what The Transition was really up to. It just didn't really go anywhere. The story got a little sketchy in the middle as well, but perhaps that was due to having to cut out so much of it.
On an aside, I've come across a lot of stories lately where two similar characters also have similar names. Why are authors doing that? Is it a thing amongst writers these days? In this book, we have the two main characters Janna and Genevieve. The names actually look substantially different in print, so I can sort of excuse the author in this case, but when you're only listening to the story, they're very similar. In most cases, it's more egregious, such as in The Story of a New Name, the main characters are Lila and Lena. Very annoying.
On an aside, I've come across a lot of stories lately where two similar characters also have similar names. Why are authors doing that? Is it a thing amongst writers these days? In this book, we have the two main characters Janna and Genevieve. The names actually look substantially different in print, so I can sort of excuse the author in this case, but when you're only listening to the story, they're very similar. In most cases, it's more egregious, such as in The Story of a New Name, the main characters are Lila and Lena. Very annoying.
December 19, 2016
Karl makes his money writing essays for students rich enough to pay, and multiple reviews or the same product. It pays reasonably well but be gets into serious financial difficulties. His final options are prison, or a new scheme – The Transition. His wife joins him and they are given a six month placement with two mentors. As the story evolves, we explore his relationship with his wife, and his growing doubts about what appears initially to be a great opportunity for them.
This book took an interesting idea and explored it thoroughly without quite giving me answers. I found the story and the subjects it touched upon were sufficiently interesting to grip my attention and to make me want more. Ultimately, however, I didn’t find the ending satisfying. I would class it as a 3.5 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book took an interesting idea and explored it thoroughly without quite giving me answers. I found the story and the subjects it touched upon were sufficiently interesting to grip my attention and to make me want more. Ultimately, however, I didn’t find the ending satisfying. I would class it as a 3.5 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 18, 2017
Conceptually interesting, but far too pleased with its own cleverness. Has 'first novel' stamped all over it.
June 14, 2021
Found on a list of recent young male authors who have bucked the recent trend and got published. This is that most elusive of books, that great white whale: a novel I would like to have written.
It's all about recent dysfunctional trends in economics and culture, with a bit of futuristic, almost sci-fi, elements thrown in at the end. It's pretty convincing and seems true to life, including the annoyingly ineffectual ending. Basically, a young couple headed to the modern equivalent of debtor's prison are given an out in the form of indentured servitude (possibly without the indentured) as an alternative. They're put in the apartment and under the thumb of a mentor couple. Screws are tightened and things get increasingly cultish and, by the end, they don't know whom to trust.
I found the paranoia and suffocation quite delicious. Five stars. I hope the novels I'm writing right now turn out half as good as this.
It's all about recent dysfunctional trends in economics and culture, with a bit of futuristic, almost sci-fi, elements thrown in at the end. It's pretty convincing and seems true to life, including the annoyingly ineffectual ending. Basically, a young couple headed to the modern equivalent of debtor's prison are given an out in the form of indentured servitude (possibly without the indentured) as an alternative. They're put in the apartment and under the thumb of a mentor couple. Screws are tightened and things get increasingly cultish and, by the end, they don't know whom to trust.
I found the paranoia and suffocation quite delicious. Five stars. I hope the novels I'm writing right now turn out half as good as this.
August 21, 2018
Kitaba beklentim olmadan başladığımı söylemeliyim . Beklentisiz okuduğum kitaplardan daha çok keyif alıyorum. Hatta kitabın arka kapağını bile okumadım 😂😂😂 Kitap ilk bölümden itibaren dikkatimi çekti , nasıl bitti anlamadım. Konu baba ilginç geldi. Karakterler özgündü, yazarın tarzını çok sevdim. Sonuç olarak bu ilginç kitabı çok sevdim.
August 10, 2021
This book gave me Black Mirror vibes.
The main character is a husband who is supposed to go to jail for credit fraud. His wife may or may not be having mental health issues.
To escape jail, BOTH of them have to go into the Transition program which is sort of like a rehab for low-income citizens with poor financial decisions. Except for Karl, this program isn't what it seems.
I liked the story. It was well written and I found it a very thoughtful examination of human society. However, I didn't enjoy the end. It felt sort of flat.
But I'd definitely recommend this book for bookclub discussions.
The main character is a husband who is supposed to go to jail for credit fraud. His wife may or may not be having mental health issues.
To escape jail, BOTH of them have to go into the Transition program which is sort of like a rehab for low-income citizens with poor financial decisions. Except for Karl, this program isn't what it seems.
I liked the story. It was well written and I found it a very thoughtful examination of human society. However, I didn't enjoy the end. It felt sort of flat.
But I'd definitely recommend this book for bookclub discussions.
May 5, 2018
I found The Transition very hard to put down, read it very quickly and found myself thinking about it whilst I was doing other things, so it seems only fair to give it four stars. The world-building was good, and I'd always rather read about flawed characters than perfect ones. It makes some good observations on the housing crisis and widening wealth gap in the UK too. But... the characters here went beyond flawed, they were completely unlikeable, even Karl (who you're supposed to sympathise with, I think? At least you're supposed to "be" him in the story). And ultimately I was left wanting more information about, well, everything. The characters (and their motives and back stories), the Transition program itself and the world it was all set in. And the cover is boring. Still, it was an enjoyable, thought-provoking read and one that'll stay with me for a while.
November 30, 2022
I enjoyed this book. I wanted more backstory of the organization (I always do though - I want a Hungrr Games book where there isn’t a rebellion).
I couldn’t tell if it was confusing bc it was confusing or because it’s British and there’s slang, references, and vocabulary that I don’t know.
I love me a utopian / cult / scheme, especially w a neurotic main character
I couldn’t tell if it was confusing bc it was confusing or because it’s British and there’s slang, references, and vocabulary that I don’t know.
I love me a utopian / cult / scheme, especially w a neurotic main character
April 3, 2020
2,5
Loved the first 100 pages, was annoyed by the last 150.
Loved the first 100 pages, was annoyed by the last 150.
September 24, 2020
I didn’t hate the book, but it missed a bit of an edge for me. The story is quite uneventful and I feel there was a lot of potential to have turned it into a more exciting read.
July 11, 2024
Luke Kennards Roman *The Transition* hinterlässt einen nachdenklich und etwas ratlos. Die Geschichte dreht sich um Karl, einen Mann, der wegen Steuerhinterziehung angeklagt wird und anstelle einer Gefängnisstrafe an einem Programm namens "The Transition" teilnehmen muss, zusammen mit seiner Frau Genevieve.
Zu Beginn wirkt The Transition vielversprechend. Die Rezensionen auf dem Buchcover von renommierten Quellen wie dem Daily Telegraph, der Shortlist und dem Guardian heben die Vielschichtigkeit und den tiefgründigen Humor des Buches hervor. Doch trotz dieser Lobeshymnen bleibt am Ende ein Gefühl der Unzufriedenheit und Verwirrung zurück.
Karl, der Protagonist, erscheint als privilegierter Mann, der mit seinem Leben nichts anfangen kann, obwohl er offensichtlich Talent besitzt. Sein Leben ist geprägt von einer inneren Leere und Unsicherheit, die ihn zu fragwürdigen Entscheidungen treiben, wie der Erstellung von gefälschten Essays für reiche Kunden und der Begehung von Steuerbetrug. Diese Handlungen stehen im krassen Gegensatz zu seinen kritischen Ansichten über elitäre Projekte, was ihn als widersprüchlich und schwer zugänglich erscheinen lässt.
Genevieve hingegen, die als Lehrerin ein stabiles Einkommen hat und zunächst nicht als Teil des Problems erscheint, wird im Laufe des Buches als mental stark belastet dargestellt. Ihre anfängliche Begeisterung für das Transition-Programm und Karls Misstrauen gegenüber diesem System bilden einen interessanten Kontrast. Doch trotz ihrer Schwierigkeiten wirkt Genevieve oft als die stabilere und bodenständigere Figur, was die Frage aufwirft, warum Kennard Karl als zentrale Figur gewählt hat.
Karl bleibt während des gesamten Buches eine eher unsympathische Figur, die egoistische Entscheidungen trifft und scheinbar einen Messias-Komplex hat. Sein Umgang mit Genevieves mentaler Erkrankung und seine letztliche Bestätigung in seinen Vorhersagen tragen zu seiner problematischen Darstellung bei. Am Ende des Buches bleibt der Eindruck, dass Karl trotz der gesamten Transition keine wesentliche Entwicklung durchgemacht hat und weiterhin in seiner Lethargie und Unzufriedenheit verharrt.
Letztlich scheint *The Transition* eine kritische Betrachtung von Privilegien, persönlichem Versagen und gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen zu sein. Doch die mangelnde Sympathie für die Hauptfigur und das Gefühl der Stagnation am Ende des Romans machen es schwer, eine klare Botschaft oder moralische Erkenntnis aus der Geschichte zu ziehen. Vielleicht liegt genau darin Kennards Herausforderung an den Leser: sich mit den unbequemen und komplexen Realitäten moderner Lebenswege auseinanderzusetzen.
Insgesamt ist *The Transition* ein Buch, das hohe Erwartungen weckt, diese aber nicht vollständig erfüllt. Es hinterlässt Fragen und eine gewisse Frustration, was möglicherweise genau das ist, was Kennard beabsichtigt hat. Ein Werk, das sicherlich Diskussionen anregt, aber nicht unbedingt eine befriedigende Leseerfahrung bietet.
July 31, 2017
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes being afraid for our future as the human race. Kennard's switch from poetry to prose seems effortless, and I look forward to reading any future novels that he writes.
Read my full review: https://neverbendthespine.wordpress.c...
Read my full review: https://neverbendthespine.wordpress.c...
March 25, 2020
3.75 Stars
I was really, really into this book for the first 3/4th but the ending fell completely flat for me.
Parts of this story reminded me of Dave Egger's The Circle , one of my favorite books about the destructive powers of social media and organizations that take your privacy and rights. This book was certainly well written and contained lots of literary and cultural references that kept me engaged. I just wish it had a more cohesive and satisfying ending. Still, a great debut prose novel for Kennard and I will certainly be interested in any new novels by him.
I was really, really into this book for the first 3/4th but the ending fell completely flat for me.
Parts of this story reminded me of Dave Egger's The Circle , one of my favorite books about the destructive powers of social media and organizations that take your privacy and rights. This book was certainly well written and contained lots of literary and cultural references that kept me engaged. I just wish it had a more cohesive and satisfying ending. Still, a great debut prose novel for Kennard and I will certainly be interested in any new novels by him.
October 27, 2017
Like an echo of The Marriage Pact but with very different themes but with very similar themes.
April 17, 2018
Maybe 2.5 stars. Capitalism, a generation overburdened by debt, etc. This one felt a little like a slightly more refined British version of Noah Cicero’s Go to Work (which I hated). Generally nope.
did-not-finish
February 27, 2020dnf for now
June 26, 2020
yea ok
May 15, 2021
Review to follow
August 14, 2023
Interesting concept and I found Karl very likeable as a protagonist. Feel like there needs to be a second book as there’s more to know about The Transition and its workings
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews