Maybe this is asking too much of a story meant to engross and entertain, which its satisfying epilogue, in particular, does in spades. But his nods to Shakespeare hint at bigger themes. The twist, after an initial frisson of insight, is disappointingly reminiscent of more than one blockbuster sci-fi movie released in the past two decades, and Cronin’s methodical explanations still aren’t enough to quell lingering questions about how exactly it all works. Cronin’s prose is mostly lucid and considered, but certain patches of overwriting read like attempts to inject unnecessary grandeur into the proceedings. At the same time, the plot features car chases, shootouts, the infiltration of a government building and a twist that completely alters the frame of the story precisely two-thirds of the way through. An undercurrent of grief, organized around a pure, almost unobjectionable family tragedy, forms the book’s emotional core, and the scenes of fatherly doting that recur throughout are so pitch-perfect that they verge at times on treacle. A careful book with a limited cast, animated by the bonds of parental and romantic love. There’s something mildly intoxicating, in fact, about entering this utopia, called Prospera, because Cronin’s shrewd world-building allows us to have it both ways. The narration’s pleasingly sharp details.are some of the many appealing things about The Ferryman, a 538-page book that clips along as effortlessly as you might scroll through a well-curated Instagram feed. Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized-and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry.

For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. For one thing, he's been dreaming-which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. Proctor Bennett has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh.

In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world.

Just like home sarah gailey book review