Paesaggio con mano invisibile

by M.T. Anderson

Ci sono sistemi ben più sottili ed efficaci della forza per piegare un popolo alla schiavitù. Lo sanno bene i vuvv, che al loro atterraggio non hanno spianato sui terrestri fucili e cannoni, anzi, hanno distribuito gratuitamente meraviglie: farmaci che tutto curano, fonti di energia inesauribili, cibi perfetti che in un batter di ciglia debellano la fame nel mondo. Prodotti rivoluzionari e irresistibili, insomma... di cui loro possiedono il monopolio, e di cui, ovviamente, si precipitano a fissare il prezzo. I vuvv non sono soldati, insomma, ma affaristi, e il loro arrivo stravolge l'economia, brucia milioni di posti di lavoro, mette la Terra in ginocchio. Ad Adam, 17 anni, non resta che inventarsi un lavoro, qualsiasi cosa pur di portare a casa quello stipendio che i genitori non riescono più a racimolare. La soluzione più felice mette insieme piacere e dovere, perché i vuvv mostrano una sciocca ossessione per il mondo patinato del passato, e così Adam e la sua ragazza Chloe iniziano a registrare i loro appuntamenti in posticcio stile anni Cinquanta per poi rivenderli agli invasori su un canale pay-per-view. Tutto funziona a meraviglia, fino a quando nell'idillio d'amore si spalancano crepe sempre più profonde, e Adam si ritrova costretto a chiedersi a quanto è disposto a rinunciare di se stesso pur di accontentare i vuvv.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Aliens, Teen, Humor

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Matthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Futuristic satire so sharp I'm probably now bleeding internally in a few places. Novella-length short, would make a good YA classroom read - super discussable. And not 100% bleak. More like 80-20.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrifying in how timely this is. Aliens invaded Earth, sure, but it's really more colonization than invasion. They've brought technologies, and automation! They will help the economy! Except that automation means fewer jobs, which means higher unemployment, and everything goes downhill accordingly. (This is why the "realistic" tag, despite the aliens.)

Adam is an artist. He's struggling to support his family and be true to his own ideals. Whether he's trying to hold a failing relationship together (for the ratings) or struggling with an embarrassing disease (because his family can't afford the medical treatment), Adam has a unique perspective and voice.

It's a bleak portrait of the future, but not a distant one--a near future, one where automation has put millions out of work, where healthcare is only afforded to the super-rich, where teaching is replaced by one-size-fits-all videos and the arts are utterly unsupported.

Publishing schedules being what they are, this had to have been written before the Trump administration took hold, and yet. ... this is a harsh, unflinching look at Trump's America. Monetize everything; you're only worthwhile if you're wealthy; fuck the poor and sick.

I want this book everywhere.

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.T. Anderson is so clever. This is a satirical sci-fi that examines some of the worst aspects of our society. I liked this, but I definitely prefer his novel, Feed over this one, because that book BLEW my mind and left me shook for days, whereas this was just a short, clever lil book that would be fascinating to discuss with others, but overall didn't shake me to the core like Feed did.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

how is M.T. Anderson so good at writing every kind of book

is he a witch

I just don't know

this was beautiful and difficult and ultimately hopeful in just the best way

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a copy of this signed for a friend who didn't like Feed. I loved Feed, so hoped that maybe he would like a different book by Anderson.

After reading to page 57, I skipped to the end and am asking forgiveness from my friend. This was really quite bad.

Setting/World. Takes place in the near-future, after benevolent, if business-minded (not benevolent if they only want $, just my two-cents) aliens come to Earth with amazing tech. That only the rich can have. So far, I'm seeing it. Then it goes off the rails.

The aliens decide no more clean sources of drinking water for the poor masses. They don't say WHY, maybe to make more money when the poor get sick from untreated water? Main MC has a nasty stomach bug due to dirty water. Never thought to boil it, really? So that's kinda weird.

Then the statement that alien made food is cheaper than American grown. Ok, I can see that. But then to say everyone was out of work, so no money for food, BUT cheaper to buy food than to grow your own?!? Really?!? Cuz if the parents had no job prospects, they had a back and front yard. GROW food for your family for crying out loud! How is that more expensive than spending money you don't have on food?

I think this was supposed to be some sort of awesome social commentary that completely missed the mark for me. Maybe my friend can explain it to me, because I just didn't get it at ALL. I hope he likes it, I know I didn't.

1.5 stars, not sure which way to round, since I really almost hated it, but I did want to see what happened at the end and I liked the ending, so up to two stars.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooooooooooooooooooooow

"Feed" was the last M.T. Anderson book I read, and that was probably over a decade ago. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when I saw that he had some new material coming out in the fall. That said, it can also be a bit nerve racking when an author has been out of your life for so long. I mean, I loved "Feed" and Anderson's writing style is one of my favorites, but what if after so long, it just didn't have the same effect? I mean I've changed, he's probably changed, so many variables!

Well, I shouldn't have worried, because "Landscape with Invisible Hand" definitely reminded my why I love Anderson's work so much. This is a slim book, just cresting over a 100 pages, but my goodness does it pack a powerful punch. The desolation and deterioration of not only Adam and Chloe's relationship but Earth as a whole and its inhabitants is heartbreaking and, quite honestly, an interesting commentary on our country's current state. Additionally, with such sparse language, Anderson does an exceptional job of not only captivating his reader but he's also able to do so in a weirdly brutal and beautiful way. I think my favorite aspect of this book, though, is just how much discussion power it has for teens. I can seriously picture them talking for hours over this book and for that as well as all of the other reasons I mentioned, this is an absolute necessity in all YA library collections. Seriously. I'm probably going to re-read it right now . . . and maybe again after that . . .

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Crowinator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite passage, and my vision for the librarian I want to be, from the desperate narrator of this bleak and beautiful novel about his favorite teacher:

We all have our visions of crazy success.

Mr. Reilly must have had his once, too. A kid my age named Dave Reilly. He went to art school. Maybe he still secretly nurses those private visions where he's discovered and suddenly he's the big shit. I don't know.

And now he's thrown everything--all his talent, all his energy--into helping us paint and draw and sculpt and grow up. Boys who are hiding secrets, girls who can barely stand to see daylight--he has devoted his life to listening to us and giving us a space to make our statements.

That, I guess, is why he is one of the few actual adults I know, as opposed to people who are just old.

[Amerie]

Wonderful. I really enjoy Mr. Anderson's voice, as well as the parallels he makes in his stories. His books are raw and immersive, throwing you in without preamble, trusting you to figure out the world.

[Figgy]

Review to come.

Didn't go where I was expecting... Painted a very tangible feeling of lower class, and of the medium class being thrown into that same hardship.

Interesting layout with each chapter having a "title" that matches a corresponding artwork created by the main character.

[disco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of a deeply twisted, "worst case scenario" dystopian future. Adam and his family are turned from a white collar, comfortable society - to scrapping for rice and beans. This is an oddly unique and particularly interesting novella.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The vuvv arrived on Earth and instead of your stereotypical alien invasion, they offer advanced technology and cures for most ailments. Unfortunately, humans on Earth are fighting for jobs that have been replaced by alien technology, mortgages are underwater now that no one wants to live under a giant hovering space craft, and no one can afford the miraculous healthcare since the economy tanked. The rich aliens can only get richer and the poor humans only get poorer.

What the vuvv loves is the 1950s era - everything from the music to the soda shop dates. Teens Adam and Chloe are clever enough to cash in on this by recording their dates and offering pay-per-view episodes to entertain the aliens, allowing them to afford basics like food for their families.
The only problem is … with each episode, Adam and Chloe are falling out of love and the money will soon dry up.

Landscape with Invisible Hand is a short and sweet satirical sci-fi that is clever but bleak, especially when you consider how timely the topics are!

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I fell hard for Feed as a teenager, I’ve followed M.T. Anderson’s career. His repertoire is eclectic to say the least, regrouping children’s adventure novels, historical nonfiction, and award-winning YA. In Landscape with Invisible Hand, he returns to the lands of trenchant satire that I first discovered and adored so much in Feed. If he could write one of these tomes every single year, gradually taking on everything that ails us—racism, capitalism, consumerism, imperialism, and so on—I would be a happy reader forever.

Here the tone is similar to Feed’s but more focused. The vuvv, an alien species with high tech and voices like sandpaper, have colonized Earth, leaving its human inhabitants to scrabble in the mud leftover. Anderson throws the reader directly into this dystopia, leaving her to draw the lines between Earth in 2017 and his fictional Earth of the near future. Although I take heart in the fact that Anderson trusts the reader to fill in the blanks, I would have appreciated more detail on the hows, whens, and whys, simply to take advantage of his imagination. The book clocks in at a scant 160 pages, and I can't help but wonder why it wasn't expanded to novel length since there is more than enough material to support it.

On this vuvv-conquered Earth, humans have nothing left to sell: vuvv technology can make everything better, faster, and cheaper. That’s why our hero Adam must sell the only things he’s got: love and art. Anderson dissects the dangers of commodifying that which was once considered sacred. The ensuing hijinks become zanier and zanier as the story moves forward, ramping to deliriously comic heights with one of the grossest and funniest break-up scenes in memory before climaxing with a laugh-out-loud speech about monetary policy and the metric system (American exceptionalism on the metric question persists even post-apocalypse).

Faced with this cracked mirror of a story, I groaned, I guffawed, I shuddered. The satire flies so high, it may be in orbit, but it works because Adam is a believable and empathetic protagonist. He not only has to worry about the end of life as he knew it but also mundane concerns like “Is it embarrassing to be seen with my teacher out of school?” and “Will that hot girl maybe kiss me?” Landscape with Invisible Hand is too short to saw away a piece of your heart like Feed but it’ll certainly stab you in the stomach a few times in between your fits of laughter.

[Bang Bang Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
One day aliens inhabited, not invaded, earth promising a better life but it was actually only for the 1%. The rest of the world is poor and starving and trying to find a way to get up to the sky to live like the wealthy. Adam and his family is unfortunately the 99% and their life is abysmal.

Adam is an artist and paints everything he sees and I wondered how he could afford all his supplies when his ever optimist mother is unemployed. I know his teacher buys supplies for his class but does Adam take supplies home? Paint and especially canvas is expensive; I guess we aren’t supposed to ask questions. Back to the review…

Adam and his girlfriend get a great idea to make money- a reality show about their love. They film episodes of their dates and since the aliens, the vuvv, “invaded” during a 50’s themed drive-in movie, the vuvv love everything 50’s nostalgia and Adam and his girlfriend have to use words like groovy. Of course at some point they begin to hate each other and it becomes a problem much like Adam’s entire life. He has a disease that gives him no control of his bowels, his father is a dick, and his girlfriend and her family are dicks too. So when Adam has an opportunity to win an art contest that could get his family up to the 1%, you just know that that is NEVER going to happen-DAMN YOU MT; CAN'T THIS LOVELY FAMILY CATCH A BREAK! I was so angry and frustrated at this wonderful family’s bad luck that I began to hate this book but I knew there was a deeper message so I trucked along.

There is an ending and that’s all I’ll say but I liked it and the message and it stayed true to the story and the family.

This was a short albeit heartbreaking story about a little family who tries to stay positive in their shitty lives. Adam had a great attitude and took no crap from anyone and his mother’s half glass full perspective really helped me get through this depressing book.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can see where the appeal comes for some, but for me it just wasn't there. I kept going because it was short and also because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. The "and..." that would bring it all together and give me some sort of reason for having gotten to the end.

An impulse check out that I'm sort of wishing I had left sitting on the shelf.

[Fran · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plots explored as a result of alien invasion run similarly. In this adaptation they come in peace and share advanced technology, whereby billions are unemployed within a couple months. And so begins a new era. Short but thought provoking, depicting new horrors and introspective discussion. POV of older teenaged boy.

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me share a quote from the book before I begin my review.

“We are tiny figures, pointing at wonders, provided for scale, no lives of our own, surveying the landscape that has engulfed us all.”

This quote could describe many things. How we view the world around us. How we impact each other, our surroundings, this planet. It could also describe our incessant need for technology and social media.

This quote is the last thing you read from this book. It pretty much sums up this book. I’m giving this story 3 stars because it was bleak, slightly boring and I was expecting something else.

‘Landscapes with Invisible Hand’ is about a teen boy named Adam Costello. There was an alien invasion on Earth. The powerful and rich sold the planet for technology and medicine. The rich were rich and everyone else grew poorer. Every one lost their jobs.

Adam is an artist and at first paints fantasy. Beautiful sunlit meadows and castles with blue skies. After his father leaves the family completely broke, Adam starts painting what he actually sees and with feeling.

The real world around him is dirty, neglected and run down. He paints what the aliens have done to his beautiful home. He has an epiphany.

When I first picked up this book, I was excited because it was about aliens. These aliens were not fun at all. Organically they seemed like squat alien robots. They use Earth as a vacation destination. Exploiting the humans. They refer to our history as cute. They relish in our imagination.

Adam is a kid with a gastrointestinal disease. Merrick’s is what it is called. I looked this up online and couldn’t find the exact spelling. What I could find was Marek’s. A form of herpes found mostly in chicken and rarely in turkey. Adams condition is mentioned a lot in the book and he is constantly shitting himself.

I just found the whole book bizarre. A lot of it was beautiful and other times, I just hated to pick it back up. Chloe is a nightmare. The whole Marsh clan is obnoxious. The mom is a sad dreamer. The dad has issues. Then we are left with Adam and Nettie. Trying to live one day at a time. Just sad.

I guess the ending was a little more uplifting, but not much. They can hope for change. That is all they can do.

[Gretchen Rubin]

Everyday life in a memorable dystopia.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Through generous donations, I am receiving a class set to teach to my ninth grade English students. I cannot wait to analyze and discuss the many relevant themes within this novella.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

M.T. Anderson is a wizard who writes sharp, dark, painful visions of terrifying futures (and pasts) that are nevertheless hilarious and infused with heart and hope.

[Shelby M. (Read and Find Out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Will be doing a full video review within the next couple of weeks.

My Video Review

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent take on a dystopian future. I liked this way more than "Feed". A great story all around of a particular family trying to live in a world taken over by aliens who gave the Earth the answer to all its problems: world peace, cures to all disease, etc. On a serious note, without bias, it looks at both extremes. What happens to a civilization that is given everything they need to "survive" is that they can no longer survive without being "taken care of". What happens in a complete business centred society is there is no room for love, for each other and the esthetic things in life lose any true emotional value.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sci-fi satire on class where the uncaring ultra-rich are subbed for uncaring aliens. Ridiculously bleak (I'm a fan of bleak but it was tough). 3 stars for me because I couldn't ultimately see what Anderson was going for besides the basic metaphor. I like satire to have an extra layer of bite, and never found it here.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be re-reading this title in the future. It's depressing AND fun!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining book that slyly pokes fun at material culture with a sci-fi framing.

Earth has recently been colonized by Vuvv aliens, and at first their medical and technological advances seem like a boon, but soon it puts people out of work and society starts to collapse. Teen Adam’s parents are out of work and struggling to hold on to their home and dignity. When another family moves in to share with the bills, Adam falls in love with their daughter Chloe. Adam and Chloe broadcast their choreographed dates to the Vuvv (who enjoy retro 50’s era Earth courtship) for money, but when their romance fades in real life, Adam hopes his artwork will win an award to bring in money for his family and save them from financial ruin.

Each chapter title relates to a piece of artwork that Adam is working on, and once readers figure that out, it’s fun to imagine how it ties into a narrative about alien colonization. What Adam does at the end of the story seems counterintuitive to what people think today, but that’s what might make readers stop and think about their own choices and motivations.

The story was refreshingly short, as I believe too many YA novels are overblown, and the satire was spot on. The narrative can be enjoyed on several levels- as a fun sci-fi romp or as a witty reminder of how much social media and how we wish to be identified can define us.

I participate in a Tournament of Books with other teen librarians, and was assigned this book (which I had read previously) and graphic novel Motor Crush. Read this link to find out which book I pushed through to the next bracket: http://ow.ly/EUtN30igMbp

[Rowizyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ogni tanto mi chiedo se ci sia una risposta al trend della distopia da Hunger Games in poi... Eccola qua.

Questo libro è interessante, perché esagera ed estremizza il nostro mondo con l'intervento di una razza aliena che sembra arrivare a regalare meraviglie... mandando completamente in crisi l'economia mondiale e, di fatto, rendendo la Terra una colonia.

La storia di Adam, adolescente che cerca di salvaguardare la sua identità in mondo così disperato da dover mercificare la sua prima storia d'amore, trasformandola in pornografia per i nuovi padroni, Adam che tuttavia ha l'arte... Molto particolare e pungente, per certi versi, a partire dal disturbo del protagonista, che a causa dell'acqua non filtrata ha sviluppato una sindrome all'intestino che gli comporta flatulenza e diarrea nei momenti meno opportuni. Diciassette anni e i problemi fecali sembrano incompatibili... e lo sono.

Il finale potrebbe essere sconvolgente, per la rivelazione che ha Adam e il modo in cui da una nuova svolta alla sua vita, ma a me è piaciuto. Una disintegrazione vera del sogno americano, a cui tutti i nuovi disperati tant'è rimangono ancorati in attesa del bordo d'argento delle nuvole, accettando le regole dei nuovi padroni e, paradossalmente, capovolgendole. Interessante.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una distopia per ragazzi senza la pretesa di salvare il mondo alla Hunger Games.
La rivoluzione arriva dallo spazio profondo tramite i vuvv, praticamente dei Jeff Bezos extraterrestri che sfruttano la terra, relegando gli umani in una povertà mai immaginata.
Adam è un artista. All'inizio riesce a mantenere la famiglia attraverso una sorta di Only Fans dei sentimenti, ma trasmettere la relazione con la fidanzatina alla fine logora.
Non gliene va bene una, al nostro eroe. Tra alti (pochi) e bassi (molti) riesce a sfiorare lo scatto di classe sociale. Ma alla fine, usando le immortali parole di Wargames - Giochi di guerra: "Strano gioco. L'unica mossa vincente è non giocare".

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great 'now' book. Or 'always' book. Aliens land and peacefully offer us schmucks tech and cures, and it ruins us, creating a have nots economy that certainly mirrors our own. A stinging indictment of capitalism that's never didactic. Instead, the novel is funny, infuriating, and sad in the right ways.

[Keitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, I found Anderson's writing tough to read but well worth the pain.

[Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this. It was a quick read, and should appeal to teens who like dystopias or bleak stories.

[Nea Poulain · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.neapoulain.com/2018/12/pa...

¿Qué precio tiene la raza humana? ¿Cómo la vendemos? Les juro que creo que este libro es magistral al demostrar que la cultura no la podemos vender, que no es un producto de consumo y que me recuerda a los turistas europeos en la India que creían que la India eran esa fantasía que habían visto en los libros y en las películas, que eran incapaces de enmarcarla en el mundo moderno, que se referían como disfraces a la ropa, que eran incapaces de comprender que existiera el pop indio, la música electro, que se habían quedado con lo que ellos creían que eso era lo tradicional. Obviamente, también me recuerda a las suposiciones que se hacen sobre México. Sobre la música que escuchamos (siempre folclórica), sobre cómo nos vestimos o la manera en la que vivimos. Eso es justamente lo que pasa en Paisaje con mano invisible entre los vuvv y la humanidad. Para los vuvv, los seres humanos son seres que sólo pintan naturalezas muertas, que viven y se visten como en los años cincuenta, creen en el amor eterno y sólo escuchan a Elvis Presley. Y que además son profundamente espirituales. No hay nada más que eso. Para los vuvv, la humanidad es sólo un cúmulo de suposiciones que han hecho con base en lo que han observado.

La verdad, es que este no es el tipo de libros a los que suelo acercarme a primera vista. Ni el título, ni la temática. Soy muy dejada con la ciencia ficción y en su mayor parte, no me llama tanto como otros géneros. Entonces, para leer este libro, me lo tuvieron que spoilear entero. No lo hubiera leído de otra manera. Es una de las novedades del Fondo de Cultura Económica en su colección A través del espejo, la colección juvenil, entonces yo tenía que conocerla, por fuerza. Así que me contaron toda la historia de Adam y cómo había quedado Estados Unidos tras la llegada de los vuvv y fue cuando dije "de aquí soy". El declive que se presencia en este libro no es algo que no estemos viviendo ahora mismo. Los ricos se hacen más ricos, los pobres más pobres, el capitalismo es insostenible, pero unos cuantos creyentes se emperran en creer en el libre mercado. Los que salieron beneficiados de los tratos con los vuvv se enriquecen cada vez más, los que no, pierden sus trabajos, sus casas, lo pierden todo. ¿Les suena conocido? A mí sí.

Adam es el único sostén de su familia cuando su padre huye porque siente que no es lo suficientemente hombre al no poder mantener a su familia (podría hacer todo un análisis sólo de ese capítulo, pero esto quedaría demasiado largo) y su madre no puede conseguir trabajo porque hay demasiados desempleados y muy pocos trabajos. Adam cuenta que solía ser cajera, pero que la tecnología de los vuvv la dejó sin trabajo. Ahora, sólo pide trabajo para servir consome en una fonda. No hay más. Todo lo han sustituido las máquinas. Los humanos sobreviven como pueden, esforzándose en demostrar que están ahí, que no son sólo lo que los vuvv creen que son o convirtiéndose en lo que los vuvv esperan de ellos, lo que funcione mejor según el caso.

Adam y su novia, Chloe, se inscriben en un programa de parejas para conectarse en vivo durante sus citas y compartir su experiencia de amor con los vuvv. Sólo hay un pequeño problema: los vuvv creen que el amor humano es algo que en realidad no es, no lo entienden y sólo quieren ver aquello que ellos creen que es el amor humano. La cosa funciona por un rato, hasta que deja de funcionar. Y eso es justo algo que me gusta del libro: es una caída en picada. Me recuerda mucho a Alicia cayendo en picada por la madriguera, porque a cada capítulo que pasa se hace más obvio que no hay ninguna clase de regreso posible, al menos no por el mismo camino. Adam va internándose más y más y más y más en los problemas, incapaz de salir de ellos, impotente por no ser lo que los vuvv quieren que sea y a la vez furioso con aquellos que les siguen el juego.

Hay una escena que me gusta mucho, que es cuando encuentra a uno de sus compañeros vendiendo figuras religiosas. Vende a Shiva en los brazos de la virgen María, a Jesús como un dios hindú, a dioses de otras religiones crucificados. En su patio delantero tiene un popurrí de religiones sin sentido para la humanidad, pero que a los vuvv les fascina. Adam se enfurece y habla de que están vendiendo su cultura, todas las culturas, de que las está haciendo una masa irreconocible y las está vendiendo, como si fuera algo con lo que se pudiera comerciar. Me encantan todas las reflexiones que se pueden hacer partiendo de ese pequeño punto, porque es algo que vemos que sucede. Ya comerciamos con la cultura y las tradiciones de una manera desesperada, porque para muchos es la única forma de sobrevivir. ¿Cómo le dices a alguien que no lo haga si la opción es morirse de hambre? ¿Y cómo lo haces sabiendo que lo que estás comerciando con la cultura, con la identidad y con lo que eres?

No les cuento más de la trama del libro, pero sí quiero hablar en especial de que me gusta que un libro juvenil provoque tales reflexiones. Estoy muy peleada con algunos libros estadounidenses distópicos porque no entienden la revolución, ni la resistencia, pero este parece reflejar muy bien las condiciones de "libre elección" bajo el capitalismo en las que vivimos. Adam es libre de elegir lo que quiere hacer, pero si no elige lo que los vuvv (aka la burguesía) quieren que elija, la opción es morirse de hambre. Me alegra que un libro juvenil norteamericano planteé eso, que lo ponga sobre la mesa. Que, por un momento, nos olvidemos del elegido que salva al mundo y lo cambia todo y nos enfrentemos a los que viven en un mundo que no pueden cambiar solos.

Paisaje con mano invisible me parece una excelente novela de ciencia ficción. No es lo que esperaba, pero sí más de lo que esperaba. Superó con creces mis expectativas. Se las recomiendo mucho.