Q is a scary and fast paced dystopian thriller. Like Vox, the author's previous novel, a world has been created that is believable and chilling. A great read and fantastic storytelling.

This book was captivating and terrifying. It is a little scary how plausible this all is and it left me thinking long after I’d finished reading.
The characters are interesting and the pace is great!

Absolutely loved this book!!! Would wholeheartedly recommend to all of my friends, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

The book begins with Elena getting her two girls Anne and Freddie ready for school this is no ordinary school morning and you can feel the tension that Elena is experiencing to get her daughters on the buses to start their days at their elite schools.

Anne is the apple of her father Malcolm’s eye and excels at everything, her nine year old sister Freddie does not find life and studies so easy. When she fails a test at school and the reality of what will happen next hits Elena she looks back at her life and reminiscences of how they came to this day. She decides that she needs to stop Freddie going away and goes to visit her parents.

However, her husband Malcolm who is an awful human being, decides that he will go with her as he is concerned about her behaviour and that she may leave him and what happens after this keep you engrossed and reading late into the night.

This is not the usual genre of book I read but it totally drew me in it is dark, disturbing and shockingly believable. I really empathised with Elena who will do anything to protect her daughter and enjoyed reading about Elena’s life before she met Malcolm and her dreams to be an Art Teacher. We also find out about Elena’s Grandmother Oma and her past.

It is a very compelling read and quite frightening and the ending is a shocker and I would heartily recommend if you like dystopian novels.

In Vox, Christina Dalcher showed us a mother spurred to fight a dystopian society that silenced women’s voices when she witnesses the negative effects on her children. In Q, she shows a mother spurred to fight a dystopian society that values people based on their IQ scores and other similar status factors when she witnesses the negative effects on her children.

The stories follow similar themes, but the story in Q is just as gripping and compelling as its predecessor, despite the similarities in the content.

It is clear from very early on that something has gone wrong within the governing system in Q, as Elena is perfectly positioned in her teaching role to realise that top students should not be falling foul of the scoring system… clearly some form of corruption is at work. To the reader, the very system itself is horrific enough, even if it were functioning exactly as it had been meant to. And yet, as the author notes when she recounts the genesis of the movement, it is merely a different basis for a judgement system society already uses in real life. Where our reality is governed by factors like skin colour, physical attractiveness, accent, weight or genital equipment, the society in Q uses intelligence test scores, moral choices, and emotional expression (among other data) to segregate and reward / punish people.

The most chilling thing, as with Vox, is just how plausible the whole scenario is.

There are obvious comparisons to Nazi Germany and to novels like 1984, but the currents of fear of anyone different or ‘imperfect’ ring terribly true to alert readers following current world events.

There are triggers warnings here for domestic abuse and control, child abuse and attempted rape. These incidents are not dwelt on salaciously, but form a small part of the building picture of powerlessness, helplessness, for those judged less than worthy. I have never hated a fictional character more than I hated Malcolm in this book. He is utterly vile, yet – again – plausible.

The main emotions I felt as I read this story were anger, grief and fear, and a real, physical nausea caused by my anxiety for the main character and her friends and family members. I can definitely confirm that I was invested and immersed throughout!

Fans of dystopian fiction based on political and societal realities, taken to the extreme, will enjoy Christina Dalcher’s books, as will fans of domestic thrillers. I can’t wait to see what horrific truths she exposes for us next!


'I almost can’t remember how it felt before we all started carrying the Q numbers around with us, like an extra and unnatural print on the tips of our fingers, a badge of honor for some, a mark of shame for others. I suppose, after more than a decade, you can get used to anything. Like cell phones. Remember not having the entire universe in your back pocket? Remember sitting on the floor, talking to your best friend about nothing, unwinding a curly cord only to watch it kink up again? Remember all that? I do and I don’t. Blockbuster two-day video rentals and bookstores the size of an airplane hangar are distant memories, faded impressions of life before streaming and same-day delivery.

It’s the same way with the Q numbers, although we’ve carried numeric strings with us in one form or another for most of our lives: our social security numbers for tax returns; our home telephone in case of an emergency call to Mom became necessary; our grade point averages that would fill boxes in dozens of college application forms. Men, in a clothing store, became thirty four long or sixteen-and-a-half, thirty-three. Women became dress sizes: six, eight, fourteen. In the more upscale shops, we were our measurements. In doctors’ offices, we were our height and weight, watching one number creep down while the other number crept up.

We’ve always been our numbers. DOB. GPA. SSN. BP (systolic and diastolic). BMI. SAT and GRE and GMAT and LSAT; 35-22-35 (Marilyn, damn her); 3 (the Babe). PINs and CSCs and expiration dates. Jenny’s phone number from that old song. And, for the extreme among us, the entire sixteen-digit sequence on our Visa cards. Our ages. Our net worths. Our IQs.'

– Christina Dalcher, Q

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

I hate to be that person with a Negative Nancy review, especially when its of an ARC I was so kindly gifted access to on Net Galley! However, I would hate to mislead anyone who values my reviews and opinions so here we go.
I read Vox, also by Christina Dalcher, a few weeks ago and didn’t really get on with it. The premise for Q seemed a lot more interesting and so I was undeterred and gave her work another go.
Adults and children alike are assigned a ‘Q’ score from their routine tests in an attempt for society to focus more on the gifted while those at the lower end of the scale are ‘taken care of’ elsewhere. Elena Fairchild works in one of the state’s top schools, but her perfect world comes crashing down when one of her daughters scores lower on her Q test than is deemed acceptable and as a result is sent away. Disturbed by some parting words from her elderly German grandmother about how history is perhaps repeating itself Elena decides she will stop at nothing to bring her daughter home again.
I honestly can’t really work out what I didn’t enjoy. It was a really interesting storyline I just felt it didn’t grip me as much as I would have liked it to. There was a plot for sure but not enough happened in my opinion that fed into the main storyline. In the week or so since I’ve finished it, I’ve had a hard time recalling what even happened.
I had a scroll of the good reads reviews after finishing and everyone else seems to rate this really highly so perhaps I was just missing the point somewhere?? Dystopia really isn’t my go-to genre anyway so perhaps if its more your thing you’d really enjoy this! As this is the second novel by this author I’ve failed to enjoy, I can safely say I won’t be gravitating towards any more of her work. It was however very thought provoking especially with how scarily close our world sometimes seems to the dystopia we read in novels like this.

A really interesting read - I've not read Vox but I'd like to after this for sure. This book has a really interesting concept, and scarily feels like something that could possibly be a reality.

I love a dystopian thriller and this definitely delivered, it wasn't my favourite, but it kept me engrossed the whole time.

Another book for the Atwood enthusiasts and another which looks at a near future world in which life has become increasingly difficult for women. At first glance is seems as if some things in life have improved, at least from the point of view of Elena Fairchild, a teacher at one of the country’s elite schools. But we soon realise that the very fact of these high-level schools means that there must be other institutions with much lower standards. The constant testing of pupils has been increased, with previously high achievers suddenly losing so many marks (known as Q, standing for Quotient) that they drop from the highest-level schools to the lowest – large, residential facilities where parental visits (or trips home) are rigorously deterred. Which, in effect, means children taken from their homes with only a few days’ notice and never seen again. Despite Elena’s husband being instrumental in this educational policy she finds, to her horror, that her younger daughter, Freddy, has fallen into this group and that he is not willing to do anything to save her. Elena, however, spurred on by hearing about her beloved grandmother’s experiences in Nazi Germany, is forced to make some almost impossible choices.

Like most of the best dystopian novels this one is chillingly close to current reality. Not just in the control some governments (I’m looking at you, America) feel they need to have over women and their bodies but also in attitudes to education. Yes, I can see how testing can help to establish how well individuals are progressing, but when it becomes a purpose in itself it tends, as happens in this book, to be prejudiced against anyone who doesn’t conform to an artificially set norm. The story draws explicit parallels with the eugenics movement (beloved of fascist regimes everywhere) adding another level of worrying contemporary similarity. I was particularly fascinated by Elena and her husband’s backstory – former school geeks whose plans for revenge on high school bullies become a brutal repressive regime – and how she turns her back on what those plans have become.

Being a huge fan of Dalcher's first book VOX, I jumped at the chance of being able to review her second offering - Q. 

In Q we meet Elena Fairchild - a teacher of biology in one of America's new prestigious 'Silver Schools' in which both of her children attend. Married to Malcolm Fairchild, who is part of the brains behind the new operations of how society is judged. 

Everyone (children and adults alike) are judged on their Q (Quotient) scores - tests that are taken each month to assess your IQ. These scores dictate how almost every part of  your life will be lived. Get above a 9 and you will continue to be seen as the elite - you will be allowed to attend the best schools, have better food (even queuing for grocery shopping will be shorter) and access to better jobs/wealth. Get below a 9 and things turn out very differently - you will be sent to a 'state school' which will remove you from your parents house, your job prospects will be severely limited and your overall quality of life much lower. 

The purpose of the Q tests is so the teachers can focus on the truly gifted children and not be 'bogged down' with having to spend time on those kids who need a little extra help. Thus meaning that the younger generation will be geniuses and a new, smarter society will prevail. 

When Elena's youngest child Freddie fails her latest Q test (she gets under an 8 and is removed to go to a state school), Elena fails her own monthly Q test on purpose to be sent to the same school. But what she finds there is way worse than she imagined...

I loved this book! The genius in Dalcher's writing is that although this dystopian version of society is horrifying, it's not actually that far fetched when you think about it. Currently we are judged on our class, gender and race, so why not our IQ? Given the very tumultuous times that we are in currently living in, anything is possible. The puritanical thinking of eliminating those who don't 'have a place in society' (e.g. LGTBQIA+, learning difficulties or anyone who isn't white) are very reminiscent of the Nazi era (and lets face it, some of the more extreme right wing of today), putting this story right on the pulse of some very prevalent issues. 

Our protagonist isn't such a victim though - we learn that when she and Malcolm were at school together and part of the geek crowd they targeted the popular kids by implementing a card system which showed preferential treatment to brains over brawn. This spiralled into the extremism views of her husband today - only now he has real power that affects millions. However Dalcher managed to make you connect with Elena despite her faults. You feel for her younger self and understand why she wants to make her place in the school hierarchy. 

I hated Malcolm with a passion - if you love to hate an evil character look no further. 

I've waffled on a bit here, but suffice to say I loved Q - complex, thought provoking and utterly brilliant. Be warned though, the ending takes a very dark turn which I didn't see coming. 

A brilliant 4 star read for me. 

I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I hadn’t read much dystopian before easing vox by the same author. I was hooked on that book and felt so lucky to be accepted to read the second dystopian book

The book was absolutely chilling and a disturbing read. But that did not stop me from being entertained by it and sat gasping at certain parts

I think this book would make a good read for a book club! Plenty of topics for discussion!

Was an enjoyable read. Took a bit to get into but would recommend. Great setting and atmosphere. I preferred this book to VOX

This was my first by this author, but I just couldn’t get into it. Sorry it was a DNF for me.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

In Q the education system is finally rescued by the government. No more huge classrooms where the clever have to suffer while waiting for their slower compatriots. Each month every child is tested and assigned a ranking. Those with high Q scores get better education, jobs, and resources, while those with substandard scores get federal boarding schools, menial jobs, and bottom of the barrel resources.


But the Q system becomes law, everyone is assigned a Q. Even unborn children and, if you’re unhappy with how your child might turn out, well… there are options available to you. Your Q score is based upon various factors – knowledge, but also wealth and family composition as the Fitter Families Campaign dictates that children need two parents – one male, one female – in order to thrive.


Elena is one of the elite, able to jump queues and gain better services by showing her gold card. Her husband, Malcolm, is one of the ruling party, devising new policies that enforce these levels. Their two daughters, Alice and Freddie, are different. Alice is sixteen, secure and bright. Freddie is anxious and worries about tests all the time. When Freddie fails a test and gets sent, not to green, but straight to yellow and will be shipped off to state boarding school in Kansas, Elena’s world crumbles. Suddenly she has to take desperate measures to keep her children safe, measures that may bring the whole sytem,and her husband, to its knees.


I think one of the most unsettling parts of this novel is that it is based on the real life study of eugenics which has been largely ignored, if not forgotten. But the Eugenics movement was real and as Dalcher points out, could have led to a society like the one we find in Q.

Summary

I think the exact phrase that sprang to mind was “Well, that’s unsettling.”

This book has an interesting premise. Education and society are governed by a Q number, based on academic prowess and other social factors, which determines schooling and other privileges, such as the fast queue in the supermarket!

Elena, our narrator, is distressed when her younger daughter fails her monthly test and is to be removed from the family and assigned to a state school (in a different state), the lowest rung of the education system. To complicate matters, she is married to a key member of the team controlling the system, who accepts the need for Freddie to be separated from the rest of the family.

Elena, a science teacher and frustrated artist, engineers a teaching assignment at the same state school in a bid to rescue her daughter and finds the situation is even more dangerous than she realised.

This book has great intentions but the plotting starts to fall apart as a series of unlikely events push the narrative forward. Is it likely that 2 high school students can instigate a merit system for academic achievement which within 20 years has revolutionised the school system? Are there other benefits in wider society than queue jumping? There's a company called Genics Inc linked to the Fitter Family Campaign which offers prenatal services and people aren't making the connection with eugenics? And how does a 60 year old reporter infiltrate the system armed with a 'magic' pen that acts as camera, recording device and data storage device? And could Elena really have lived so long with a man she finally discovers is a raging fascist intent on eliminating all difference in society? (I could go on but I'll leave it there - the editor didn't do their job)

The melodramatic ending undercuts the author's intention to warn of the dangers of prioritising academic achievement at the expense of 'difference' and of the dangers of eugenics which still have a following within the political elite (although the author fails to mention this in her afterword).

And a couple of things that really grated. A highly educated woamn from a German family thinks Riefenstahl is 'unpronounceable'. Really? And even worse, comparing a child's messy bedroom to New Orleans after Katrina has to be one of the most tasteless metaphors I;ve ever read (and underlined the 'whiteness' of this novel).

An exciting premise but disappointing execution.

This book takes place in a world quite similar to Vox- instead of women being silenced, Dalcher’s victims are those with a substandard IQ- or those who refuse to play by the government’s rules.
It’s clear from the blurb that the protagonist will end up in a re-education centre along with her daughter, but the book takes an eternity to get to this point. Once inside the facility, a quick trip to the principal’s office is all it takes for our protagonist to bust herself out. I found myself wondering what the book would look like if it were told from the point of view of the smart daughter, who loses her mother and sister as a result of her father’s conniving, or the “stupid” daughter, who is sent away for displaying aneurotypical tics. Women aren’t off the hook in this book- like in Vox, the protagonist acknowledges that she had a hand in creating this dystopia, then sets out to change it. I would recommend this book to readers who want to unlearn some of the toxic traits that privileged people have in our society, and help to push our society forward towards equality.

Every child's potential is regularly determined by a standardized measurement: their quotient (Q). Score high enough, and attend a top tier school with a golden future. Score too low, and it's off to a federal boarding school with limited prospects afterwards. The purpose? An improved society where education costs drop, teachers focus on the more promising students, and parents are happy.

Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state's elite schools. When her nine-year-old daughter bombs a monthly test and her Q score drops to a disastrously low level. As a teacher, Elena thought she understood the tiered educational system, but as a mother whose child is now gone, Elena's perspective is changed forever. She just wants her daughter back. And she will do the unthinkable to make it happen.

This story is impactfully written, I can tell you now that if you want to like the main protagonists in your books, this won't be for you however, if you can go beyond that and the terrifying familiar nature of the plot, this dystopian book may be for you. But is this a dystopian book or the revisiting of events based in history or a the terrifying reality of what could be happening now or in our future.

Elena has two children, Anne a high grading "Silver" schooler and Freddie a struggling "Green" schooler. Each month she watches as one of her children excels in the current education climate, while Freddie struggles with anxiety and needs extra tuition from Elena to scrape through. This time it's different, Freddie just does not appear to be coping the day of the monthly "Q" test. This time she is unable to help Freddie as the following day she receives her notification that she will be sent off to the "Yellow" school for residential education. Elena does attempt to try and save her daughter but her sadistically "Child Catcher" husband Malcolm, is a high up employee of the education department and a stickler for the rules. His cold demeanor is not only aimed at Freddie with the news and Elena finds herself on the edge of a dilemma. Keep her marriage and stay home with Anne, or choose Freddie, fail her own assessment and attempt to rescue her from the fate of a "Yellow" school.

This has strong inferences from the offset to the german Nazi regime and their ideology to endeavour to create a supreme race however, as with that there is no balance to their logic. This book shows that people can attempt to control population (as we have seen on occasion throughout history). It brings us brutally close to current times with inference of the extension into modern automation reducing the necessity for human roles (e.g. Amazon Drones).

It is apparent that Elena has made massive errors in her behaviour and judgement throughout her life despite her Oma's attempts to highlight the errors of her ways, as we flash back to her history and henceforth her involvement in the introduction of this population control system. With this information it is at time hard to swallow and feel any kind of kindness or empathy for Elena. Alright she has chosen to rescue Freddie but you are left wondering if this is her repentance for past transgretions or for the love of her children.

This book is a four star read for me purely for the speed the book rushed to its conclusion. I do feel a great deal of depth was applied to the first 3/4 of the book and built the dread and change to the way of life and the characters. Sadly the final quarter of the book felt rushed to it's conclusion and large chunks of explanation to the questions you may have are loosely answered with small snippets of press and social media releases, this sadly just didn't cut it for me. I also felt the ending was somewhat "happy ever after" too which wasn't in keeping with the dire content of the book, in this instance I would have felt it more appropriate to leave it hanging rather than wrapping up the characters fate the way it did and with the return of Jo!!

I would like to thank NetGalley & HQ for the opportunity to read and give a true and honest review.

Dalcher does it again. Compelling and terrifying - almost Orwellian in its look at how what starts out as a simple idea can escalate into something altogether more sinister. Absolutely girpping - and highly recommended.

📚Chilling, suspenseful and utterly terrifying...📚

Christina Dalcher begins her author's notes after her latest novel, Q with the words 'if the references in the novel disturb you, then I have done my job'. And that is indeed what Q does. It's a speculative fiction novel sprung from the idea that everyone is ranked in life based on their Q score; your score is affected from your academic performance, your punctuality, even those of your family and friend's. It's a world in which every moment is judged and if you make one false move, there's no coming back.

Elena the narrator teaches at a the highest rank silver school until one day her youngest child fails her monthly test and is sent to the yellow schools, a mysterious place where children who don't perform well enough academically are sent and seldom return. Unable to deal with the possibility of sending her youngest daughter away forever and haunted by the words of her grandmother and 'not to let it happen again', Elena sets out to unveil a deeprooted corruption that will risk everything, even her life.

Dalcher's novel is compelling and yet terrifying in how realistic a future it possibily prevents – although many may disagree, Dalcher points out it has happened before... This novel is a must for fans of speculative fiction but also those who love suspense and thriller as it sure as hell keeps you gripped until the final pages.

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. I liked Dalcher's writing. Her books are quick to get through.

To outside eyes, Elena Fairchild has the perfect life. She is a teacher at one of the elite silver schools, with a successful husband and two beautiful daughters – and in world where all are judged on perfection, her family are more fortunate than most.

Everything in this world is about your Q level (Quotient) and if you want a good life, then your Q must be as high as possible. All citizens undergo compulsory, routine testing to ensure they are where the government thinks they should be, especially when it comes to schooling - as it is vital for teachers to concentrate their efforts on the gifted students so they can realise their full potential.

Those that don’t make the grade are now sent to the mysterious government boarding schools, but what really goes on behind the doors of these out of the way institutions?

When one of Elena’s own daughters fails her assessment and is sent away to a government school, their family life is turned upside-down. Elena knows she cannot leave her beautiful, but fragile daughter to this unknown fate, so she deliberately fails her own assessment in order to be sent to the same school.

What she discovers there is more terrifying than she could ever have imagined and she will do whatever it takes to save her daughter..... and make sure everyone knows about the government’s horrifying plans.

***********************************************************

I am always a sucker for a dystopian thriller, especially one set in a near future so realistic you can almost taste it, and this is one of the best I have read for quite some time. This is a proper page-turner - thrilling and chilling in equal measure - and one that is is impossible to put down once you have started.

It's difficult to talk too much about this one without giving away spoilers, but I will do my best.

Suffice to say that Elena's life is not quite as perfect as we are first led to believe. She loves her daughters fiercely, but she has come to realise some things about her husband, Malcolm, that make her very uncomfortable - their marriage is on shaky grounds and she is struggling to see what even attracted her to him in the first place. Their eldest daughter, Anne, is a model student and thriving under the new educational system, which makes her the apple of her father's eye, but the youngest daughter, Freddie, suffers from crippling anxiety which leads her to struggle, especially at school. Elena finds herself constantly shielding Freddie from Malcolm's criticism and his distant coldness, which is such a stark contrast to the way he treats Anne.

When Freddie inevitably fails her school assessment and is sent off to one of the mysterious government schools, where her family are only able to visit her a couple of days a year, Elena knows Freddie will not survive on her own. She has to make the difficult decision to engineer things so that she can be with Freddie, whatever the cost, even of this means leaving Anne - and making herself vulnerable to Malcolm's retribution.

It is not until Elena gets to the remote Kansas school that Freddie has been sent to, that she comes to understand what these new government institutions are for. These are not just dumping grounds for less able students and those unable to keep up with the pressure to perform... they are the beginning of something quite terrifying instead... a social engineering experiment of the worst kind.

Elena harkens back to the stories of her own German grandmother and knows she must do whatever it takes to save not only her daughter, but all those now in danger from the government's horrifying plans, including questioning her own culpability in how events have turned out - and she learns a chilling lesson about the history of her own country along the way.

This is compelling and disturbing stuff - thrilling, edge of your seat writing with a valuable and timely message that will have you feeling the weight of your own responsibility in how events turn out, and the importance of remembering the dark deeds of history. There is a lot to take away from this one, all wrapped up in an excellent read that will shock you to the core. Q is a must read.