Jennifer Government

Great concept, poor writing. None of the characters were fleshed out enough to care about them and the writing was really bland.

ETA: We finished the audiobook this weekend. I think that it was a really great book. The characters really drew me in and I love a good story with multiple (likeable) characters to follow. It starts strong and keeps going throughout the novel.

We're listening to this on audiobook and it's awesome. The stories in the book really draw you in. Attention-keeper.

I remember reading this when it first came out and really liking it. It had a great Chuck Palahniuk kind of feel to it, some really well-developed characters, and a futuristic world that terrified my inner socialist - one where taxation had been abolished and the government privatized, allowing corporate interests to exert themselves to their fullest authority.

At the same time, though, there were elements of it that seemed somewhat far-fetched. The US government at the time seemed to be growing stronger at the time, claiming powers and authority that could be described as “extraconstitutional”. The idea of it being completely emasculated by business seemed somewhat quaint, like a leftover from the anti-globalization movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Having been following the rhetoric and “debate” surrounding health care reform in the US in the past year, however, it doesn't seem to far-fetched any more; I could see someone like Sarah Palin or Glen Beck advocating for the tax-free, corporate dominated society that is depicted in JG.