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We Set the Dark on Fire by Kehlor Kay Mejia
In a society strictly polarized by class, girls at the Medio School for Girls are trained for only one of two roles--running her future husband's household or raising his children. Daniela Vargas is the school's top student, but she lives in fear that her secret will be revealed before graduation--her parents are from the poor fringe, and bought forged papers to get Dani into the school. Furthermore, on graduation night, Dani must make a choice when a rebel group asks her spy on the wealthy class in the pursuit of bringing equality to all of Medio.
Review from Booklist Reviews:
In Medio, a myth tells of the Sun God, who took two wives, one wise and loyal, the other sensual and nurturing. Now, selected young women train to become the dual wives of the nation's politicians: the Primera to be his partner in work and business, and the Segunda to run his home and family. Daniela's poor parents lied to get her into the school, hoping to secure her a better future, and indeed, Dani has become the top Primera student, keeping her emotions in check and her forged papers a secret. Mateo, her new husband, seems strangely cold and cruel, and it doesn't help that the family has chosen Dani's longtime rival, Carmen, as their Segunda. But the worst comes when Dani is contacted by a resistance group and asked to spy on Mateo and politicos like him. As she learns more about Mateo's narrow-mindedness and oppressive politics-?and as she and Carmen grow startlingly closer-Dani's sympathy for the resistance grows, but is there even a life for her beyond this one? Like the revolution, Mejia's world is carefully built. With its achingly slow-burn romance and incisive examination of power structures, this is a masterfully constructed novel, made all the more impressive as it's a debut. This timely examination of how women move through the world is potent and precise, and readers will be eager for the sequel.
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