Made me crave doughnuts

"As a politics nerd, I was drawn to this book chiefly for its promise to examine the destructive polarisation of modern politics. In that respect, we are presented with a potential solution: Direct Democracy, essentially the practice of putting every political decision before the electorate, rather than delegating to elected representatives, thereby giving everyone a stake in government (forgive me if I've missed some nuance in this summary!). This is the story of Bea Jensen's attempt to win over the hearts, minds, and sometimes other body parts of Canadian voters. A story like this risks becoming an advertisement if the core idea is not thoroughly critiqued. I do feel that it flirts with this boundary sometimes, but the opposing case is presented on several occasions. Maybe some parts lacked a little tension, particularly in latter chapters - every trick seems to come off, and it's not that the ending feels unearned, but maybe it could have been earned a little harder. (I offer this feedback in constructive spirit, not because I didn't like the story, but in case it's useful to the author!) Bea, as a protagonist, is not always likeable, but I'm happy with that. She easily has enough depth, grit and pragmatism to engage the reader and drive the story, and importantly she represents a voice with some stigma attached: women who regret becoming parents. If anything, I'd have liked some more attention on this - maybe in the sequel? 🙂 I also loved the ever-present owls, and the insights into Canadian politics (as a non-Canadian). I enjoyed the humorous tone, and particularly the idea of turning an old folk's home into an army of internet trolls. In summary, it's a fun book with some serious themes, definitely worth the time if you're at all interested in politics!"