The Partials

               The Partials

By Dan Wells

The Partials by Dan Wells follows sixteen-year-old radical heroine Kira Walker as she tries to revolutionize a post-apocalyptic world. Although this book is very similar in genre to many other popular Young Adult (YA) novel such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, I appreciate this book because of the author’s original ideas. Specifically, the medical environment that this book is set in allows Wells to heighten the feeling of distress for readers by creating frightening medical-based situations, such as when all the newborn babies die. I also appreciate the evocative language the author uses. For example, on page 17 Wells writes, "There are somethings more important than ourselves — more important than the limits of the present, and the whims of the now." He is using this piece of dialogue to convey how the Mayor of Long Island convinces the citizens that forcing teenage girls to get pregnant at 17 is for a better future.  

Wells also did a great job building the personality traits of each character. Because of his skill, I built book-relationships with many of the figures in the story. For example, Marcus is my book enemy; he is self-centered, annoying and skeptical. While Marcus acted as though he cared about Kira, he didn’t help Kira when she was trying to recruit people for her mission to save the children of Long Island. Kira thinks about society as a whole; Marcus thinks only about himself.

The author has a clear message that he is trying to convey: Wells wants to show the reader how society’s obsession with the perpetual advancement of new technology is potentially dangerous. Wells also illustrates for readers that humans will always engage in power struggles, even in the most dire times. Last, in The Partials Wells effectively suggests that most people care more about themselves than others. It is a depressing view on humanity, but perhaps the author is right.