The Society of S By: Susan Hubbard

I love book stores!

One of the greatest things about going to a book store is when one just happens upon a book that becomes an incredible find. The Society of S was that book that I happened across while trying to decide between Aldous Huxley's The Island or The Doors of Perception.

Upon first glance I was put off by the book's lack of synopsis. The book was a paperback with the back featuring only reviews from various sources and the front, a black background with smoke. There was nothing to give the potential reader an idea of what they may be getting into with this book.In any case, I started reading and before I knew it, I forgot all about Huxley and his acid induced revelations on the true nature of society.

The Society of S follows Ariella Montero as she lives her strange but sheltered life in Saratoga Springs. Home schooled by her scientist father, Ari is exposed to an array of subject from Plato to Poe, Biology to Botany and everything in between. However, there are certain subjects that are kept away from Ari. Secrecy shrouds her father's pressing experiments and mystery abounds in all matters relating to her missing mother.

This book kept me on my toes. Unlike some novels with a tendency to drag a reader through the motions of a plot, this one pulled me into the story. Hubbard's descriptions were on point as I sat in a room during one of Ari's lessons with her father. No filler or unnecessary details could be found. Although, I did become suspicious, I would have originally never suspected the ailment Ari's father suffers to which she is genetically pre-disposed. Character development in the protagonist was in keeping with that of a young woman wiser than her years in all matters found in text books but naive in the ways of the world. As such, by using Ari's point of view what may appear as mundane to the reader is seen as different and the simply bad, sinister.

It has been difficult to review this book while keeping all the plot's secrets and surprises in tact. Just goes to show some people knew what they were doing by keeping the book's cover very simple and keeping the story line underwraps.

So much for not judging a book by it's cover.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 Coca Cola bottles.

Happy Reading!

~~