The Future Perfect
Date Available
5-3-2018
Year of Publication
2016
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Document Type
Master's Thesis
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
English
First Advisor
Manuel Gonzales
Abstract
In the prison society of Circadia, the Jury doesn’t need chains or locks to keep citizens tame, only routine—but Valerie and Brennan break the routine. Valerie allows a hospital patient who hurt her in the past to die from cardiac arrest. Her twelve-year term will be reset if anyone finds out she didn’t try to save him; she’ll start over in the dangerous Twelfth Circle. With 455 days left in Circadia, she must lie not only to the authorities but also to her family. And she’s a terrible liar.
Most conversations halt near Brennan, the Warden’s son, but even he catches the whispers after a police officer attempts to escape from Circadia. When Brennan learns that his mother and a Juror are rigging the officer’s public trial, they give him a choice: side with the Circadians and lose his safety, or side with the Jury and lose his self-respect.
Structured in chapters that alternate between Valerie and Brennan, this novel—influenced by George Orwell, Suzanne Collins, and Michel Foucault—suggests that the best prison makes you comfortable. It makes you want to stay.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.115
Recommended Citation
Abbott, Sarah J., "The Future Perfect" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--English. 30.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/english_etds/30
