The Warehouse

The Warehouse is a chilling and thrilling novel about big business and the plight of humanity trying to survive in the consumer age. With clear allusions to real companies this book paints a picture of what America and the world might have to look forward too if consumption remains unchecked. That is, of course, overlooking the fact that some aspects of this book are already reality for workers around the world today. This is one of the most plausible dystopian books I've read, and also one of the most enjoyable. The book is thrilling, filled with suspense and intrigue, and had me reading late into the night. It also left me questioning my purchasing decisions and wondering how I fit into the patterns of production, consumption, and economic injustice described in the book. It left me in a strange place of wanting to change my habits to ensure this nightmare world does not come to pass, but also not wanting to do anything. I found myself strongly identifying with some of the characters in the book as they struggled with some of these same questions. Perhaps more than anything, Rob Hart has offered a glimpse of the experience of being a consumer in the contemporary world. A view that is not a symbolic, but rather is accurate. The conflicting appeal of greed, convenience, morality, and the reasoning we follow in willingly allowing big business to take over more and more of our lives and economy. This is a story of how people live to work, instead of working to live. I don't know how I feel about the ideas contained in this book, but I know it is the most compelling indictment of wealth inequality and unrestrained capitalism I have ever read. It has certainly given me a lot to think about. Overall, I read this book as a work of fiction that examines how present dangers could lead to a world like the one described in this book. A world not very unlike our own. Highly recommend.