Award winning Young Adult and Middle grade author M.T. Anderson (writer of Feed, Burger Wuss, Octavian Nothing, etc.) new scifi-esque YA novel Landscape With Invisible Hand hits shelves today and it contains everything that fans love about the author’s writing: sarcasm, wit, poignancy, satire, and a little sadness.
The protagonist of the story is Adam who is smart, sweet, and artistic. When the “vuvv” (alien ship) first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth — but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents’ jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv’s miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. And since the vuvv crave anything they deem classic Earth culture (doo-wop music, still life paintings of fruit, true love), recording 195
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-style dates for the vuvv to watch in a pay-per-minute format seems like a brilliant idea. But it’s hard for Adam and Chloe to sell true love when they hate each other more with every passing episode. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he’s willing to go — and what he’s willing to sacrifice — to give the vuvv what they want.
With the backdrop of a bleak dystopian future Anderson inserts some heart into a satire. A bonus for reluctant readers is that this book is only about 170 pages long!
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