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The Chrysalids

by John Wyndham

Reviewed by Coral


Only the image of God is man.

Keep pure the stock of the Lord.

Blessed is the Norm.

The Norm is the will of God.

Watch thou for the Mutant.

The Devil is the father of Deviation.

In the world after the disastrous Tribulation these are the tenants of faith adhered to by the communities of Labrador and Newf. Any Deviation from the Norm is harshly dealt with; crops are burnt, animals are slaughtered, and people ...

But, in the small community of Waknuk, David Storm and a handful of others have come to realize exactly what they are: Deviations that can't be recognized. With no extra finger, no second head, no obvious way in which they differ from the image of God, they find an opportunity no other Deviation has had: a chance to live free. All they have to do is keep quiet, guard their secret close. But, when another of their kind is born, far stronger than anything they've seen before, how long can they truly stay hidden?

This is an amazing book, one that I was fortunate to have read and I think everyone should read this book at least once in their life. It may look like just another view of post-apocalyptical earth, but I think it carries a real message about the consequences - all terrifying and realistic - of the unrelenting pursuit of some elusive definition of "normal".

 

Grade: A