The Heart Goes Last: A Novel

About this book

Imagining a world where citizens take turns as prisoners and jailers the prophetic Margaret Atwood delivers a hilarious yet harrowing tale about liberty power and the irrepressibility of the human appetite. Several years after the worlds brutal economic collapse Stan and Charmaine a married couple struggling to stay afloat hear about the Positron Project in the town of Consilience an experiment in cooperative living that appears to be the answer to their problems - to living in their car to the lousy jobs to the vandalism and the gangs to their piled-up debt. Theres just one drawback: once inside Consilience you dont get out. After weighing their limited options Stan and Charmaine sign up and soon they find themselves involved in the towns strategy for economic stability: a pervasive prison system whereby each citizen lives a double life as a prisoner one month and a guard or town functionary the next. At first Stan and Charmaine enjoy their newfound prosperity. But when Charmaine becomes romantically involved with the man who shares her civilian house her actions set off an unexpected chain of events that leave Stan running for his life. Brilliant dark and provocative The Heart Goes Last is a compelling futuristic vision that will drive readers to the edge of their seats.