"Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard"
Coldplay - The Scientist

The 21st Century is off to a rough start. End-stage capitalism's ladder rungs are few and far between. Every time you succeed in taking a step up, you soon discover it is decayed and failing. War, recession, deadly viruses, algorithmic social media, surveillance technology, lethal drugs, fires, floods - it is a fraught time for all, but most especially for those just starting out and living on the edge.

Devyn Defoe's propulsive debut novel "Burnside" brings it all into focus in a marvelously engaging way. It's a jungle out there - housing and health care are unaffordable, public transportation is ratty and unreliable, jobs are underpaid and exploitative, law enforcement is disinterested and distracted.

But you still have to eat, sleep, work, dream, and procreate. Defoe's characters are rich and varied, fully believable at being unbelievable. The writing is engaging, full sentences with rollicking clauses, followed by single sentence paragraphs, and laugh-out-loud dialogue. The periodic set pieces are cringy and compelling.

The Patriarchy is alive, but deeply unwell. The majority of the unnamed males are generally clueless at best, criminal and fatally dangerous, at worst.

Best to keep your head down and spirits up. It's bound to get better, right? Great work, Devyn Defoe.

Special thanks to Astra House and NetGalley for the eARC.