Prism

Did you know that Utah has a public ebook library online where you can check out audio books as well as epub versions of books.  The service is completely free, you get the books for about two weeks.  You do have to put books on hold sometimes because limited copies of ebooks are available.  Books are available five at a time and can be transferred to mobile devices or used on a computer.  To access the service for Utah (and it's local libraries) go here. Other areas have similar services available too, so ask your local librarian if you think you'd be interested in accessing an ebook library.

The point of all that was that I checked out and listened to this book, Prism, from the online library.  Audio books have the great benefit of being able to be processed while doing other things.  So I listened to this book while taking walks, laying in bed hoping to fall asleep, doing my dishes, baking, etc.

Prism is a slightly sci-fi type of story.  Kaida and her classmates are in a car crash while traveling for a class trip to Carlsbad Caverns.  They hide out in a cave to escape the rain and then wake up in a parallel universe where healthcare of any type (from Advil and cough drops to life-saving procedures) are illegal.  First confused as to what is going on, the students find a person named Ozzie that is cheating the system to try and save his mother's life.

I didn't really care for this book.  The storyline felt cheesy and full of forced didactcism.  I know there are health care issues in this world and that the system is faulty from all perspectives, but come on.  There are better and more even-keeled ways to contain a political or social message in a story.  Also, the prose was so heavy-handed.  There's a friend staying with me right now and I was embarrassed with the flowery language and vomit-inducing expressions of love.  I know I've been a little harsh, and this book wasn't completely awful, but it's definitely one I could have done without.

An additional note: I'm waiting for some holds at the library and I'm not sure what to read in the meantime. Give me your suggestions and I'll give them a try!