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Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
After the global disasters, the Great Flood and the Great Drought, survivors now live in The Colony, a society in what was once Phoenix. Nichola Rodale lost her family, including her father, a brilliant scientist and progressive activist, in the Great Drought. She works for the Outfit, an elite clandestine branch of The Ministry, The Colony’s governing body. The Outfit manages resources, and one of its duties is to carry out classified executions of those it deems wasteful. While the job gives Nichola access to resources the general public can't get, she hates it and distrusts the Outfit. When she notices strange inconsistencies in recent execution orders, she decides to investigate. Unknown to her, she is about to uncover the truth behind her father’s revolutionary invention, which the Outfit has buried, and dark secrets about the Outfit. But first, she must partner with unlikely allies and survive the Outfit’s ruthless reach. Find out how it all goes down in Everything That’s Left Behind by Kelly Lydick.
If you are looking for a dystopian young adult sci-fi novel laced with mystery, adventure, political intrigue, a hint of romance, and suspense, Everything That’s Left Behind by Kelly Lydick is a great pick. Teasing the world’s collapse after a global environmental disaster, Lydick plunges me into a post-apocalyptic world with deliberate narration and vivid imagery. It was as if I were in the scenes next to the characters, watching their every move and taking in the distinct settings. The dynamic conversations and introspective commentary revealed the characters’ emotions, personalities, and conflicts. As I followed Nichola navigating her job, private life, and her quest to solve the developing puzzle surrounding her deceased father, I understood her grief, distrust, hatred, confusion, and fear. Lydick accompanies the narration with philosophical musings that help address the story’s themes, including the consequences of environmental exploitation, authoritarianism, survival, moral ambiguity, resistance, grief, and preservation of memory. I can’t wait to see what Lydick has lined up next with this fascinating cast.
