The High-Rise Diver by Julia von Lucadou

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The High-Rise Diver 

Author: Julia von Lucadou, Sharmila Cohen (Translator) 

Release Date: 3.2.21 

Publisher: World Editions

Publisher's Summary:

Riva is a “high-rise diver,” a top athlete with millions of fans, and a perfectly functioning human on all levels. Suddenly she rebels, breaking her contract and refusing to train. Cameras are everywhere in her world, but she doesn’t know her every move is being watched by Hitomi, the psychologist tasked with reining Riva back in. Unquestionably loyal to the system, Hitomi’s own life is at stake: should she fail to deliver, she will be banned to the “peripheries,” the filthy outskirts of society. For readers of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Circle, and Brave New World, this chilling dystopia constructs a world uncomfortably close to our own, in which performance is everything.

My Review:

I take comparisons to "The Handmaid's Tale" with a grain of salt because it seems any dystopia with a female main character gets that comparison, but the "Brave New World" comparison did grab me. Unfortunately, the inclusion of the "peripheries" is where the similarities end and the constant surveillance is more on par with "1984". As with any dystopia or SFF-style book it takes a while to get acclimated to the world that is presented. I was willing to remain in a state of confusion for the sake of the storyline hopefully coming to a climax or providing a specific question that requires deep thought but I grunted "ugh. that's it?" upon finishing. I would not label this a feminist dystopia and it is not on par with the books it is compared to on its cover.