At some point in the future, maybe a decade, maybe a century, an indentured illegal refugee Caleb is sewing shirts up on the rooftop of an apartment building in an Enclave - part slum, part suburb ringing aa  wealthier city, housing people who are not quite desirable, people who have chosen to not, or not been allowed, to be microchipped with a chip which makes them better citizens, suppressing the urges which make them wasteful and unpredictable members of society. Caleb has come from Spain, a country where water is now scarce, hoping for asylum and citizenship in the UK where resources, thanks to recycling, aquaponics and rain, still exist. But a child on his own is in danger from nearly all those around him and Caleb has to grow up far too fast to survive. 
Bridge 108 is told by multiple perspectives, each giving us an insight into this at once and unfamiliar England; Caleb himself, Ma Lexy who has indentured him, Skylark who first found him, Ma Lexy's gangster brother in law and immigration agents, all linked by Caleb himself, even as they occupy different places and spaces. Chillingly prescient and tautly written, this dystopia feels far too relevant as we stare Climate Change in the face whilst policies around refugees get more and more inflexible. Truly a story for our times. Recommended.

Science fiction novels tend to be a platform for exploring current sociopolitical and environmental issues and envisioning a prescient glimpse of possible futures. Anne Charnock’s novella Bridge 108 predicts a twenty-first century where climate change has had devastating effects. Wildfires and water shortages in southern Europe have caused mass migration from the Mediterranean rim. The engrossing dystopian story follows twelve-year-old Caleb journey as well as the perspective of the other characters he encounters. 

The writing is superb, and the plot combines the perfect amount of suspense and anticipation. I was so immersed that analyzing literary devices and my metacognition flew out the window. The integration of the characters is seamless. I don’t like spoilers so I won’t delve into details, but I look forward to discussing the end of the book with other readers.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Interesting take on dystopia here. Caleb comes from somewhere south of Spain and is a refugee in England. He was separated from his family and is surviving by sewing shirts in a sweat shop. He eventually surrenders to authorities and becomes part of an indenture system. The genius here is that it could be right after Brexxit or a hundred years from now, nothing is so different, but just enough.