Compelling Premise. Lacking Execution. This was one of those books that seems destined for critical and maybe book club success at the expense of a wider commercial following. It was effectively a more interesting and less utterly depressing character drama in a sort-of-ish style of The Road.

The book only has 10 chapters, 4-5 of which are from the perspective of our main storyline character Caleb, the rest are from various adults on the periphery of the story but which sometimes provide key perspectives that Caleb can’t possibly have.

Still, the utter lack of world building can be a solid narrative choice – when executed well. Unfortunately this simply wasn’t executed to the level that I generally expect, and I’m not all that picky, y’all.

Finally, the abrupt and inconclusive ending was a bit too much and honestly in and of itself sunk this book from 4* to 3*.

If you enjoyed The Road and/ or generally like “awards season” dramas for your entertainment, you may well like this book. I personally despised The Road and prefer more “summer movie season” type entertainment, so it just wasn’t for me.

Review for publication elsewhere.
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I devoured this in just a few days, devastated by the corruption and fear pervasive throughout the tale of immigration in a semi-post-apocalyptic world that still remains deeply recognizable.

Twelve-year old Caleb left Spain with his mother during the wildfires, heading for Manchester, England, following his father. Caleb made it, alone, but was discovered along the way by Skylark, who insisted that he would be better off avoiding the legally sanctioned route that would lead him into indentured servitude. Instead, he works for Ma Lexie, part of a family working in clothing recycling who puts Caleb to work sewing restyled fashion in an enclave near Manchester. As much as he enjoys the work, questions plague Caleb: what happened to his mother and father? Would he be better off elsewhere? When the opportunity comes to escape with the girl on the next rooftop, Celeb is offered the opportunity to discover the different routes he might have taken.

Looking back through my notes and highlights on <i>Bridge 108</i>, I definitely lingered on the ways in which immigration is both essential to this future England, and yet is rigorously controlled as if it were a menace. It's not hugely different from the situation in many countries today: the economy requires workers, who may be protected by laws but who cannot gain legal status to be here; thus, we end up with undocumented workers in potentially unsafe conditions, with no one to protect them. The state, it is suggested, will not look out for them. For Caleb, every action is a gamble: stay in his current, undocumented position, or take his chances elsewhere? Charnock takes us through his choices, constrained as they are, and how he is manipulated and deceived along the way.

I focused less on the reasons why the world has been shaped in this way: climate change; the incremental creep of inhospitable conditions in southern Europe; the increase in wildfires. Caleb's story is but one in this world, falling apart in the heat; but it is a salient reminder that these aspects - immigration, refugees, climate change - are interrelated, and a governments failure to understand or work with one will exacerbate the other.

I came to this novel with a predisposition toward sympathy for immigrants, with enough outside knowledge to know that if you constrain something that is essential to the function of your society, it will go underground. As I discuss the themes of <i>Bridge 108</i>, it may come across as preachy, but that is me, not Charnock. She simply tells the story of a boy from Spain who made it to safety, and his experience of a system that we already see coming into place. It's not only a chilling look; there are moments of tenderness alongside the betrayals. But for me, it was definitely a science fiction novel that will be good for thinking about these themes.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

Even though the setting sounds interesting (climate refugees from Southern Europe), vineyards all over England/Wales, human trafficking & exploitation, but the execution was just weird. It lacked world building most of all and then a coherent story with meaningful characters. The story just didn't make sense for me and I was a bit mad after many characters were introduced and then a shift of time and a new place. Why? The ending also didn't make any sense. I also didn't really get the global scope of things (how are the refugees managed?) and also the story of our main protagonist didn't really convince. I don't know. Maybe it's me, but I was really disappointed because the short description sounded so good.

Skim-read most of it.

2 Stars

The world is a complex place, and a complex tale with complex themes told from multiple perspectives can be hard to follow. Dystopian novels add another layer of complexity as the world they are in is not our own and filling in the blanks is that much harder.
The story is solid,but finding it and keeping it together takes effort but they payoff is mostly there.

4 out of 5 Stars

Cut to the Chase

Bridge 108 is a dystopian drama that expertly tells the story of teenaged refugee as seen through multiple perspectives. Bridge 108 had several things going for it: the plot was interesting, and there was a full cast of characters, which helped keep the story feeling lively. And there are also some interesting twists (some of which I wish had been better fleshed out). I was mostly captivated from start to end, though the beginning felt like it could have been slightly condensed while the ending felt a little rushed. Though I particularly enjoyed the different characters’ perspectives and the central issues of immigration and trafficking, there were times when the plot meandered. This is an interesting read, about a world which feels like a believable near future.

In Greater Detail:

Bridge 108 takes place in an Earth that is riddled with harsh weather and corruption — though it is technically an imagined version of the future, it does not feel particularly far-fetched.

Caleb, the main protagonist, is a refugee whose mother decides they ought to travel to Manchester, so that they will have better opportunities. We’re told that he and his mother, because they have such a questionable background and are lacking in experience, were only able to get work as potentially indentured servants. Before long, his mother wanders away, leaving Caleb to survive by himself. Traffickers then pick him up and use him for cheap labor — but that doesn’t stop him from living his life. He moves from place to place, and it is through his different experiences that we, the readers, are able to grasp the meaning of the characters’ intentions and reasonings. And because this story can be tied to many problems arising in today’s society, it sheds light on current events.

Bridge 108 is an interesting story, and it was gratifying in a way to see Caleb developed while helping new people, The story was slightly slow, but then almost abruptly ended when he escapes from the enclave. Bridge 108 mostly follows Caleb but uses his and other characters’ interpretations of what is going on which gives the reader almost a universal truth to sections of the plot, though conveyed through different narratives with varying levels of understanding and emotion. There aren’t exactly unreliable narrators, but the different perspectives does gives you a lot to think about.

Twelve-year-old Caleb is separated from his mother on the way to England as they flee the drought and wildfires of southern Europe. Outside Manchester, Caleb is picked up by traffickers, but lands an easy job making bespoke clothing items for a woman who seems kind. But after she hits him, Caleb takes another opportunity to escape. He hides in the woods, finds another work situation, then escapes again. He remains optimistic, learning new trades, deciding to put his trust in only a few adults. But making a way in the world as an underage illegal isn’t easy.

Bridge 108 is ostensibly a dystopian scifi, but the setting is more a backdrop to Caleb’s coming-of-age story. Late in the twenty-first century, global warming ravages the planet, and refugees flock to England. Sprinkles of advanced technology enhance the near-future world. Caleb misses his opportunity to get brain-chipped because his sister is caught vandalizing, making his genes suspect. But upon entering the system in England, he accepts the inoculations; some say you’re not the same person after, but Caleb doesn’t mind not feeling so angry all the time, and he doesn’t have to worry about becoming addicted to alcohol.

My favorite aspect of the novel is the multiple POVs, with Caleb as the primary storyteller. But he’s surrounded by a slew of adults, some recurring, some one-offs, and their perspectives add a lot of clarity to Caleb’s situation. It’s a complicated world, and the grownups do the best they can, but no one person has the power to fix the problem, and those in the system have even less of an idea how to make things better.

Unfortunately, the pacing and motivation is lacking. Caleb runs away, finds a place to stay for a while, then runs away again. Caleb suffers from a variety of worldly dangers, but he doesn’t have a goal that unifies the plot, so the story feels very meandering and episodic, without any real end point. Without any friends or connections, Caleb can only rely on rumors to know what his options are, so he ends up making a lot of decisions quickly but without much expectation.

Recommended for fans of dystopian scifi, particularly with a interest in child trafficking and immigration.

A book about climate change? yes, please. Where can I get more?

Multiple POV's always work for men so the was a plus. Dystopian novels are becoming my favorite and I was glad to have been able to read and review this one


Synopsis: Late in the twenty-first century, drought and wildfires prompt an exodus from southern Europe. When twelve-year-old Caleb is separated from his mother during their trek north, he soon falls prey to traffickers. Enslaved in an enclave outside Manchester, the resourceful and determined Caleb never loses hope of bettering himself.

After Caleb is befriended by a fellow victim of trafficking, another road opens. Hiding in the woodlands by day, guided by the stars at night, he begins a new journey—to escape to a better life, to meet someone he can trust, and to find his family. For Caleb, only one thing is certain: making his way in the world will be far more difficult than his mother imagined.

Rating: 2 stars
Source: eARC from Netgalley for review
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 204

This book is about Caleb, a twelve-year-old refugee from climate-ravaged Spain who’s reached England and is doing slave labour on a rooftop sewing clothes. A quarter of the way through the book, he escapes, and the rest follows his journey after that. It’s all in first-person, with every second chapter told by him and the others each by a different character. We hear from the traffickers and employers of undocumented slave laborers, an undercover cop, and a simulant. That was interesting if unsavory - I would’ve liked to hear from his parents, who he lost on the way to England.

I did not like the book. It says that the first few chapters were originally a novella, and it does feel like that - there’s no forward movement in the rest of the plot. I probably shouldn’t spoil, but it involves a lot of indentured labour and is depressing. It doesn’t even have the kind of depressing ending of Only Ever Yours by Louise O’ Neill, which was heartbreaking but gorgeous. For one thing, I didn’t relate to or feel for Caleb the way I did for the MC in OEY.

There aren’t highs, or hope - just this sad grind without a break, and an ending that suggests human trafficking is the best option. There’s a scene where a fellow immigrant vineyard worker (he doesn’t know her) dies of dehydration in front of him - moral: everything sucks? - and then he steals her necklace (and so do you?). There are also random advanced technological bits that seem to be there just to make it sci-if because they don’t matter to the plot.

When I picked it up I thought it was YA initially, but it isn't - the main character is twelve for most of the time, and half of the book is told by adults, plus you don't have that YA experience of a close relationship with the main character.

Was the idea of the book to send the message that climate change sucks, that if we don’t fix it now things won’t be magically okay afterwards? Because, you know, I'm aware.

The book gets points for being about climate change, for decent writing on the sentence level, and for being short. It comes out in January 2020.

Man, did I have a hard time with this book. I started out really enjoying it, and I think that was the problem. If I just hated it from the get-go, when it started to go in strange directions that I didn't enjoy I would have just written off the whole experience and quit reading. Instead, I got really frustrated that I wasn't able to follow the story I can become invested in.

Ultimately, for me, reading this book was like trying to view a really beautiful painting at a museum but having your view continually obstructed by a bunch of tourists standing in the way.

While the writing was lovely, I think right away I was a little disappointed there there isn't a huge amount of world-building in this book. I think since it's a dystopian novel, I expected way more information about that world--what happened, who's been affected, how that has changed society. Instead we view the world through the very narrow lens of one kid who lives in an environment that doesn't seem terribly different from our own world. (For example, hints are dropped about there being a water shortage, but everyone in the story seems to be drinking plenty--the kid even works for a time at a fish farm).

However the lack of world-building (and the fact that "Bridge 108 figures such a low-stakes role in the whole plot) wasn't even the part that bugged me. It was the creative choice to switch narrators each chapter. At first, I felt like this added a lot of depth to the story, but after awhile it simply became a distraction. I wanted to learn more about Caleb's story, not that some guy who owns a junkyard likes to have sex in the mornings, or that some "Simulant" (would have LOVED to know more about them) doesn't like to cook and wants to right an administrative wrong.

At first, I thoughts all of the distracting changes of perspective would add up to something great, but then I realized that 3/4 of the book was done and we'd had little to no forward momentum on the main story. At that point in the book suddenly things shift forward 4 years and we never revisit most of those characters we've spent time getting to know. Not sure what the point was in learning their point of view when it seemed to come at the expense of the Caleb (and even Ma Lexie), and the main plot of the book.

Like I said, I didn't hate this book, just found it disappointing. Perhaps that's just a personal choice though and others will connect with it better.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I could see the issues presented in this book easily happening in the future. This book presented one person, and the people associated with him, and showed one human and how he was affected.

I get bad for all people involved in this story and wanted to know what happened being he story’s end but completely understand that it was the best part to end the book at. So glad I came across it.

Los premios Arthur C. Clarke se suelen caracterizar por una selección de novelas nominadas y premiadas bastante diferente a las del resto de los galardones más conocidos y populares, ya sean el Hugo, los Nebula o los Locus. Anne Charnock, autora de Dreams before the start of time fue la premiada del pasado año 2018, algo que me permitió conocerla tanto en lo literario como en lo personal y, de esa manera, acercarme a una obra que desconocía por completo hasta entonces.
No es Dreams before the start of time precisamente una obra que me gustase especialmente. Se me hizo algo anodina y aburrida, a pesar de meterse en un tema a priori potente como es el de especular sobre cómo serán las familias en un futuro, cuando a nadie por fin le importe especialmente si tienes dos padres, dos madres, si provienes una familia monoparental, tu hijo o hija es adoptado o generado por métodos científicos, etc. Sin embargo, no terminé de conectar con aquella historia y decidí dar otra oportunidad a Charnock mas adelante. Ese momento ha llegado.
Bridge 108 es la nueva novela de la autora que llega nuevamente de la mano de la editorial de fantasía y ciencia ficción de Amazon, 47 North. Charnock, al igual que con su anterior obra, vuelve a llevarnos a un futuro, no demasiado lejano, aunque distópico en este caso, en el que el cambio climático que ha provocado sequias e incendios ha obligado a la población de los países del sur de Europa a buscar refugio en latitudes más altas. Caleb, un joven español, huye de España junto a sus padres en busca de un lugar donde sobrevivir trabajando y con ello ganar para poder alimentarse de una manera decente.
Al igual que en el mundo actual, los refugiados se ven sometidos a numerosas mafias que buscan hacer negocio mediante el tráfico de personas y la trata de niños. Caleb termina en un enclave en las afueras de Manchester en un Reino Unido post-brexit donde los inmigrantes son tratados como ciudadanos de segunda y donde las redadas en busca de ilegales son continuas. La novela sitúa en un futuro cercano un problema de plena actualidad para los países del sur de Europa, haciendo que personas que durante un momento de su vida pensaron que jamás tendrían que emigrar se vean forzadas a abandonar su tierra y buscarse el jornal en cualquier campo o ciudad del norte de Europa. Las similitudes con lo que muchas de las personas se enfrentan en su día a día en nuestro mundo actual resulta sobrecogedor y demasiado real.
La novela se centra en el joven Caleb y sus desventuras por Reino Unido una vez decide escapar del enclave de Manchester. A la hora de retratar cómo es esta nueva situación social del país, así como ven el resto de personajes al protagonista, Charnock alterna capítulos contados en primera persona por el propio Caleb con otro contados por los diferentes personajes con los que va interactuando: la mujer que lo contrata para trabajar en un taller clandestino de ropa a cambio de comida, el traficante de personas que lo lleva hasta Manchester o un agente de inmigración encubierto en uno de los campos donde Caleb acaba trabajando en cierto momento. Cada personaje tiene su propia voz claramente marcada y todos utilizan a Caleb para su propio beneficio mientras que el adolescente, en una montaña rusa de emociones que mezclan momentos donde pretende ser un chaval valiente con otros donde la capa de valentía da paso a la duda e incertidumbre propias de un adolescente marcado por la brusca desaparición de sus dos padres durante el viaje de huida de España.
Al igual que con su anterior novela, Bridge 108 no es una obra con una estructura de inicio, nudo y desenlace claramente definida. En este caso, la novela nos presenta las aventuras de Caleb tan frías y crudas como son y los picos de tensión de distribuyen a lo largo de la novela de manera equilibrada mostrando que la vida en este Reino Unido no es fácil y la tensión, incluso para los locales, es continua. El final tampoco es un final al uso que de fin a las situaciones por las que pasa Caleb. En cambio, resulta una conclusión evocativa, llena de significado y que permite interpretaciones por parte de cada lector.
Aunque Bridge 108 se sitúa en el mismo mundo que se presentaba en la primera novela de la autora, A Calculated Life, y que esta obra expando lo publicado en la novela corta The Enclave, tengo que decir que esto no es importante para la plena comprensión de esta novela. No he leído ninguna de las obras en las que se basaba (y, de hecho, no sabía que provenía de otra historia hasta que revise otros comentarios después de leer el libro) y en ningún momento he sentido que me estuviera perdiendo algo. Creo que es un detalle interesante en caso de que alguien encontrara esta referencia y por ello no se acercara a Bridge 108.
Por si quedaba alguna duda, Bridge 108 me ha resultado una novela más sólida e interesante de lo que pude encontrar en mi anterior experiencia con Anne Charnock en Dreams before the start of time. Me ha faltado encontrar algún componente que lo hiciera destacar sobre las innumerables obras distópicas que estamos teniendo la oportunidad de leer en los últimos tiempos, pero las aventuras de Caleb por tierras inglesas y los efectos que un cambio climático extremo provocan en la población europea me han resultado lo suficientemente interesantes como para leer la novela en unas pocas sentadas. Y es que, como se ve en la novela, muchas veces es mejor lo malo conocido que lo teóricamente bueno por conocer.

4.5 stars. This was a pleasant surprise, as I've never heard of this author before and I picked it up on a whim from a NetGalley offer.

I would describe this as <i>speculative fiction</i>. It feels like it could take place anywhere from ten to fifty years in the future, as climate change accelerates northward European migration and countries such as France have to adjust and react. There are a few tech advances described although the story would probably stand up without them.

Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, many of whom only get one chapter. This largely works very well although there are a couple of awkward moments (one that jumps out is a character explicitly stating his name and occupation; all the other writing feels like natural internal monologue).

The plot was engaging, the characters all worked, the ending was effective, and it was the perfect length. Really enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I am a massive dystopian novel lover and always have been. I love the many different approaches that folks take, and they often are extremely timely for what is happening in the world.

This story takes place in England after what seems like a major climate crisis throughout Europe. It follows the main character, Caleb, and his journey from refugee to human trafficking to escapee, etc. and the many folks he meets along the way.

While it was a fairly quick read, I will be honest that I was a little underwhelmed throughout. Some elements never really landed and the overall story left me wanting a lot more. I felt like the characters never really developed and there was very little back story, so that it just felt like a very bare-bones outline of multiple perspectives of characters. Multiple times I felt like it was building up to something that could be really exciting, but each time I was let down.

In spite of this, it is definitely worth giving a try if you are someone who enjoys dystopian type lit.

Bridge 108 follows Caleb - a Spanish refugee in the UK - as he goes from being trafficked into illegal work, to escaping, to a migrant detention centre and more. It is told from multiple perspectives.

The positives: Caleb is a mostly likeable character; he is resilient despite not having a lot going for him and as a reader I was rooting for him . The dystopian aspect focuses on issues that are current global issues - climate change and migration. The other characters are also interesting, and, though I found the structure a bit stilted at times, it was effective to read accounts from multiple characters.

The puzzling aspects: there were a number of societal aspects that were focused on that didn't seem to have any relevance to Caleb and his story - such as the injection given to citizens to stop them becoming addicted to anything. It felt like they were just added to tick more of a dystopia checklist. I also didn't gel well with the ending: was it supposed to be a happy ending that Caleb ended up back with Ma Lexie - the woman who had illegally employed him and also hit him? All in all, I was left wondering what the main message of the book was meant to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read for me. It falls in the YA Dystopian category and involves child trafficking for work in a world that is not too far off to imagine. I liked that the reason the world has changed in this book was due to climate change. Very timely and poignant.
This was a quick read, told from various points of view, and with a moving ending - albeit not super uplifting.
I would have loved if the investigator Jerome had more book time, as well as Ma Lexie to learn about her story. Maybe a little more back story about how it all came to be as well. Otherwise, a solid read worthy of your time!

If your a fan of YA and dystopian stories this book is worth the read. At times it's a little hard to follow, but it's a different perspective and deals with important themes. A well written story with strong characters

This is a very talented author. Bridge 108 may not be her best work, but don't let that stop you from picking it up. This is solid. Well-written characters and an interesting plot make it worth your time if you're a dystopian scifi (YA) fan.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

This is a great YA book about child trafficking and immigration. Told through various viewpoints, including those of the child immigrant who is trafficked for manual labor, those who profit from his work, those who seek to stop trafficking, and others, the novel is set in a dystopian England where the poor are shuttered into enclaves, where cheap labor is used for all sorts of industry and business. After escaping from one abusive and exploitative situation, the primary protagonist seeks out other work and news of his mother, but ultimately--and heartbreakingly--returns back to his original place of life and work, reasoning it is better that the other options available to him. I recommend this for classrooms (grades 5 and up, maybe?), library book clubs and youth reading groups, and for kids and parents/guardians/family to read together.