Matched by Ally Condie

Matched - Spoiler Alert

It appeared, to me, that the dystopian genre had been exhausted. Between The Giver, Hunger Games, and various other dystopian novels, it seemed like authors had squeezed the life out of all original ideas of the unpleasant future. To my surprise, and delight, I found some rather new theories in Ally Condie’s Matched. As Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the New York Times bestselling authors of Beautiful Creatures, summarized it, “Matched is a page-turning, dystopian love story, written with the soul of a poet.” I strongly agree with these women, finding myself loving how Condie strung words together in a smooth flow.

Matched’s protagonist is a seventeen year old girl named Cassia Maria Reyes, and the antagonist, of course, is the controlling government who call themselves The Society. In this (mostly) organized world, The Society controls everything. And I mean everything. They control food portions, your job, where you live, your love life, and your lifespan. When the citizens of The Society’s cities turn seventeen years old, they may be called to be Matched at anytime. To be Matched is like going on a blind date that the government decided, and having to stay with that person for the rest of your life. Of course, The Society fits people together the best they can, but everyone makes mistakes, right? At her Match banquet, Cassia is Matched with her best friend, Xander. What luck, huh? Matches are given cards with information about their Match to pore over, though Cassia is sure she doesn’t need it. She looks at it anyways, because it’s The Society’s instructions. The advanced technology tells her that Xander is her Match before - plot twist - telling her that another boy is also her Match. Lo and behold, a love triangle is spawned! Cassia is, understandably, very confused. The reader follows Cassia as she finds out more about what’s really going on with The Society, and struggles over whether she should stay with Xander, or secretly love Ky Markham. To know or to learn?

Though I had heard a lot about this book, I had never gotten to read it. Armed with a mediocre review from a trusted associate, I started to follow Cassia’s journey. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. Condie very slyly inserts character traits underneath her words, not explicitly stating them. With every new twist, I found myself unable to put it down. The plot was, at times, complicated, especially when mentioning unfamiliar circumstances and places. These were almost always explained soon after, leaving the reader to happily continue their travels with Cassia. The “conclusion” leaves the reader eagerly waiting the next installment, but with certain conflicts resolved. All in all, I would highly recommend this book for dystopian lovers. It is a fast-paced, twisty journey that a romantic would be sure to enjoy. Oh, and did I mention the large influence of poetry in the plot? The trilogy includes Matched, Crossed, and Reached. Ally Condie wove a piece of art using words, and I’m hoping the next books are as beautifully written as this one.

by Robin D., TAB Member