Juno of Taris - Fleur Beale

Published by Random House New Zealand: Auckland, New Zealand, 2013 (2008).

This is the second book by Kiwi author Fleur Beale that I have reviewed for this site. The first one, Slide the Corner, was enjoyable enough but not much more than that. Juno of Taris is a much more readable story, and one that I found myself wanting to finish. Once again, its not mind-blowingly original, but it doesn't really need to be!

Juno is one of 500 residents of Taris, a small self-contained island surrounded by a protective wall located somewhere in the Southern Ocean. It is some indeterminate time in the future, following wars and disasters, and now the residents of Taris believe themselves to be the last remaining humans on Earth. They survive by working together and following the rules laid down by their 'Governance Companions' (a small group of elders) without question. Juno, a 12 year old girl, is not the best at following these rules, and has begun to realise that some people on the island may have ill intent towards her.

There are a few twists and turns along the way, and a few unanswered questions as well - such as, do some people on the island have psychic abilities, and if so, how?? - as well as a few familiar tropes of the post-apocalyptic genre. One of these tropes is the fact that people in positions of authority are probably villains, and that we should question and rebel against them. To its credit, Juno of Taris has a little more nuance in this area - maybe not all of the Governance Companions are corrupt, and maybe some of the older generation might actually be working for good, but it still does feel familiar.

It is an enjoyable read, however, and I would be interested in tracking down the sequels, to see where Beale chooses to take the story from here.

Completed 27 June 2021.

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