Book Review: The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The archipelago of Prospera is a utopian state separate from the rest of the world and its man-made “horrors”. Hidden from the world by an electromagnetic barrier, Prospera is spread across three islands. The main island, Prospera proper, is home to the Prosperans, humans of high potential (a result of “genetic tinkering”), who live long productive lives, toward the end of which (when their health and well-being percentage, measured by monitors embedded in their arms, falls below 10) they are retired and ferried across to the third island, ”The Nursery” where they are prepared for their new iteration, new bodies and minds to be returned to Prospera as teenagers (“wards”) to be adopted by families on the main island. The second island, the Annex, is home to support staff who live normal lives and constitute the labor force, engaged in the upkeep of the main island. Our protagonist, the “Ferryman” Proctor Bennet, Managing Director of the Department of Social Contracts, is responsible for the smooth transfer of those being retired to the Nursery. On the personal front, he is in the eighth year of his fifteen-year contract (the duration of marriage is governed by contracts) with his wife Elise, a fashion designer.

Despite his almost perfect life, Proctor is struggling. His wife is unwilling to become a parent to a “ward”, his recurring dreams (Prosperans are not supposed to dream) are a cause of anxiety and then his father, with whom he has had a strained relationship since his mother’s suicide twelve years ago, is deemed ready to be retired. On the day of his departure, his father begins behaving strangely and has to be forced onto the ferry, before which he conveys a strange message to his son – words that trigger a series of events that has Proctor questioning everything he knows to be true. Complicating things further is a potential rebellion – “The Arrivalists” a resistance group from the Annex revolting against the social order and the ways of Prospera - members of which have infiltrated the Prosperans, posing as some of their own with the support of a few Prosperans who also support their cause. The narrative follows Proctor as he embarks on a quest to discover the truth behind his father’s cryptic message and what it means for him and Prospera, which won’t be easy as there are forces at play that don’t want him to succeed and will do anything to stop him.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin combines elements of fantasy, science fiction and dystopian drama to create an absorbing story that touches upon a multitude of themes ranging from social distinctions and power struggles, the climate crisis, family and loyalty and grief among others. A running theme in this story is how one perceives life and happiness. Is a perfect life truly a life of contentment? This is a complex, layered story but not too difficult to follow. The writing is powerful and immersive. This is my first Justin Cronin novel and I have to say that the author excels at world-building! I found the narrative that is presented to us through multiple perspectives, with the larger part shared from the first person PoV of Proctor, to be well-structured and consistently paced. At no point did I find myself losing interest as the story progressed.Don’t let the page count intimidate you. I couldn't believe how engrossing this story was. It's been a while since I could read a 550+ pager in so few sittings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Expected Publication Date: May 2, 2023.