Life is tough in The Squares, where virtually everything is controlled and residents are kept “safe” from the world beyond, which is declared uninhabitable. When Mrs. Greenleaf, an ambassador from the outside, shows up to interview young women for a position as a governess, Andrea allows herself to imagine a different life. She could not have imagined how different—in her new world, it is 1884, not the early 22nd century, and corsets and lessons on Wilhelm I are the norm. Andrea’s four-year-old charge, Albie, is startlingly bright but socially inept, and Miss Archer, as she is now known, struggles to keep the future at bay, as part of an illusion. Why the charade? Who, and where, are Albie’s parents? And can anyone escape Mrs. Greenleaf’s constant surveillance? This genre-blending tale captures readers with a Gothic mystery alongside modern sensibility; as Miss Archer slowly pulls on the loose threads of the shroud over this manufactured existence, more of the experiment she is part of is revealed. Harrison’s gorgeous prose and imagined (and prophetic) dystopia propel this debut to a completely satisfying conclusion. Perfect for fans of Austen and Atwood!—Dodie Ownes
