Matched by Ally Condie talks of a futuristic world where the society dictates everything in the citizens' lives. Whom they marry, the number of kids they have, what they eat, when they die; everything.
Love matched
Citizens are matched to their partner on their 17th birthday and Cassia meets her match. He is perfect, she's known him all her life, shared her happy and sad moments with him; but a small glitch in the system turns everything around.
Cassia is matched with her childhood friend Xander, but on viewing the micro card about her match she sees the face of another boy staring at her, Ky Markham, an aberration — a member who is ineligible enter the matching pool. The society informs her that there was a simple error in the system and that the wrong micro card was given to her and that her match is Xander and not Ky.
But Cassia slowly starts falling in love with the boy she shouldn't be. His knowledge of the world outside the society, of what the world holds, of poetry, art, nature and beauty draws her. She finds herself unable to decide if she should live her life with the match the society chose for her, or go with her slowly growing love for Ky. Stuck in crossroads, Cassia starts doubting the rules set by the society but can't bear to hurt anyone around her, especially Xander.
The book is very slow paced and drags in a few chapters, but I feel the story would make a nice motion picture where the monotone colours of Cassia's world come alive with the characters' feelings and emotions.
Title:Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher:Penguin
Price:Rs. 350
Sangeeta is a client servicing executive at an advertising agency.
