The Mark By Edyth Bulbring

The Mark by Edyth Bulbring

The Mark is a dystopian novel by South African author Edyth Bulbring, published in 2014. It won the English Academy's 2016 Percy FitzPatrick Prize for Youth Literature. The novel is set in a harsh future world where people's lives are controlled by a mark on their spine that determines their work and their mate. The protagonist, Juliet Seven, also known as Ettie, decides to challenge her destiny and fulfil a prophecy that was spoken of before she even existed.

Plot summary

The novel is set in the year 2145, after a global catastrophe called the Conflagration that destroyed most of the civilization and left the world in a state of perpetual drought and heat. The survivors live in a rigid society ruled by a heartless elite called the Privileged, who have access to water, food, and technology. The rest of the population are divided into two classes: the Drudges, who do manual labor and have no rights, and the Invalids, who are sick, disabled, or elderly and are destined to die in the Pit, a mass grave.

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Every person has a mark at the base of their spine that contains a barcode with a number that indicates their fate. The Machine, a mysterious entity that oversees the society, decides what work each person will do and who their life partner will be. The mark also contains a chip that can be scanned by the Brigade, a brutal police force that enforces the law and punishes any disobedience or deviation.

Ettie is a Drudge who lives in Zone Seven, a slum area where water is scarce and life is hard. She is about to turn 15, which means she will start her work as a sewer cleaner and her fate-mate will be chosen. She is unhappy with her life and dreams of escaping to Zone One, where the Privileged live in luxury. She also has a secret: she can see things that others can't, such as colors, shapes, and symbols.

One day, she meets a mysterious boy named Aaron Seven, who claims to be her brother and tells her that she is special. He says that she has the Mark of the One, a rare mark that contains a star instead of a number. He also says that she is the Chosen One, who will lead a rebellion against the Machine and free the people from its tyranny. He gives her a device that can hack into the Machine and change her fate.

Ettie is skeptical at first, but she decides to trust Aaron and follow his instructions. She uses the device to change her work assignment to Zone One and her fate-mate to Finnian Fourteen, a handsome Privileged boy who is kind to her. She also discovers that she has other abilities, such as telepathy and telekinesis. She learns more about the history of the world and the origin of the Machine from Aaron and his allies, who are part of a secret resistance group called the Underground.

However, Ettie's actions attract the attention of the Brigade and the Machine, who see her as a threat and try to capture her. She also faces danger from within the Underground, as some members doubt her legitimacy and plot against her. She realizes that being the Chosen One is not easy and that she has to make difficult choices and sacrifices. She also learns more about herself and her true identity.

Themes and analysis

The Mark explores various themes such as fate, free will, identity, rebellion, oppression, love, loyalty, betrayal, courage, and hope. The novel critiques the social inequalities and injustices that exist in the world and challenges the readers to question their own role and responsibility in creating or changing them. The novel also draws on elements of science fiction, fantasy, mythology, religion, and history to create a rich and complex world that reflects both the past and the possible future of humanity.

Reception

The Mark received positive reviews from critics and readers alike. It was praised for its originality, creativity, suspense, humor, emotion, and character development. It was compared to other popular dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth. It was also hailed as one of the best South African novels for young adults.

References

[The Mark - Edyth Bulbring]

[The Mark by Edyth Bulbring Goodreads]

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