In the heart of postwar America, within the confines of New Haven, a city under the iron grip of an authoritarian regime known as 'The Regiment,' unfolds a gripping tale of love and resistance. Meet James and Sybil, an ordinary couple whose lives are enmeshed in a web of government control, deceit, and the struggle for survival. The Regiment, a shadowy and oppressive entity, meticulously orchestrates every facet of the citizens' lives while skillfully masquerading as benevolent providers of happiness. Behind the facade of contentment, however, lies a sinister reality â The Regiment dictates their every move and controls their very perceptions. James, once a seemingly obedient citizen, ascends the ranks within The Regiment, a journey that leads him to uncover a treasure trove of long-guarded secrets about the inner workings of this oppressive regime. As James delves deeper into the heart of darkness, he and Sybil find themselves entangled in a perilous dance of survival, love, and resistance. Readers will be drawn into a world where love becomes a beacon of hope, and the pursuit of truth takes center stage, offering a haunting reflection on the price of freedom in the face of tyranny.
In the heart of postwar America, within the confines of New Haven, a city under the iron grip of an authoritarian regime known as 'The Regiment,' unfolds a gripping tale of love and resistance. Meet James and Sybil, an ordinary couple whose lives are enmeshed in a web of government control, deceit, and the struggle for survival. The Regiment, a shadowy and oppressive entity, meticulously orchestrates every facet of the citizens' lives while skillfully masquerading as benevolent providers of happiness. Behind the facade of contentment, however, lies a sinister reality â The Regiment dictates their every move and controls their very perceptions. James, once a seemingly obedient citizen, ascends the ranks within The Regiment, a journey that leads him to uncover a treasure trove of long-guarded secrets about the inner workings of this oppressive regime. As James delves deeper into the heart of darkness, he and Sybil find themselves entangled in a perilous dance of survival, love, and resistance. Readers will be drawn into a world where love becomes a beacon of hope, and the pursuit of truth takes center stage, offering a haunting reflection on the price of freedom in the face of tyranny.
Helicopter blades furiously chop through the air sending shockwaves to the ground that is quickly approaching just 10 feet below. Strong gusts of wind kick up dust from the ground, bouncing debris off the tiny little house that sits alone on the hill. The house is made of rotten tanned wood. Inhabited by termites and carpenter bees for decades. It appears empty.
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âFuck me. Theyâre here,â says Howard. âKids. Get to the hideaway. You two,â he says, pointing at his newest rescues. âWith me.â
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Howard guides Stephy and Greg Jalkower to a pantry in the kitchen.Â
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âGet in here and donât make a sound,â he says, cramming them into the closet.Â
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Howard takes a beat to make eye contact with the poor young couple he is trying to salvage from a cruel, cruel world. He stares into their eyes.
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âThank you,â Stephy whispers as the door is quickly shut in her face.Â
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Howard runs across the living room from the kitchen and places the rug back on top of the trap door to the hideaway. Just as the last corner of the rug touches the ground, trampling footsteps bellow outside.Â
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Howard rushes over to the kitchen drawer and produces a small revolver. His hands shake violently as he spins the cartridge revealing only 3 bullets. He opens the refrigerator door and steps inside.Â
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The shelving has been removed and plumbing hasnât worked for months. Itâs a perfect space to fit a body if you donât mind the smell of rotten eggs and decaying rationed lunch meat. Howard plugs his nose.Â
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The front door to the wooden house opens slowly. The old door squeals as it sways. Howard holds his breath.Â
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The floor creaks as military boots give their weight. The sounds get louder.Â
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âHoward!â yells a voice. âHoward we just want to talk.â
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Silence.
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âHoward, itâs been some time, hasnât it?â Asks the voice, as more footsteps trail behind it.Â
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The creeping sounds of boots on hardened flooring get louder. Closer to the fridge. Then stop.Â
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âCheck the rooms,â the voice instructs.Â
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âYou, over there. Look around. Find me this son of a bitch.â
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Howard closes his eyes. His breath is short and quiet. He is doing his best to maintain his composure. He has been through this before.Â
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The footsteps trudge away from the fridge and deeper into the kitchen.Â
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Heâs going for the closet.
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He hears boots trailing away from the voice as it gives instructions on where to search.Â
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Thereâs probably 4 or 5 of them by the sounds of it. Theyâre separating.Â
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Howard opens the fridge door silently. The hinges are perfectly greased. He sees the back of a tall and husky man in Leadership uniform creeping slowly toward the pantry. He recognizes the man immediately.Â
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Howard looks around quickly. Itâs clear. Just the sounds of rummaging from the bedrooms.Â
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The man is directly in front of the pantry now. He reaches out his hand to open the door when the sound of a cocked hammer stops him in his place.Â
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âFuck off Bryan.â
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BOOM
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Howard takes one shot, folding Bryan to the ground as a single bullet enters his brain. He takes off with haste toward the open door to the outside. Howard unlatches the helicopter door and enters a code into the reader. The blades begin to swing.Â
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He cocks the hammer back to load the next round as two members of leadership appear at the doorway screaming.Â
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âTraitor!â They howl at him as they aim their rifles.Â
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Howard shoots at the door as the aircraft lifts into the air. Bullets are returned, narrowly missing him but striking one of the landing sticks at the bottom of the helicopter. Howard escapes and with one bullet to spare.Â
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Under the hideaway, Francie and David are crammed into a tight space.Â
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âCan you breathe?â asks Francie.Â
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âYeah. I think so.â
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âOk, it will be over soon. I think dad got away again.â
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âYou donât always have to take care of me you know,â whispers David.Â
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âIâm your big sister. Thatâs my job.â
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David scrunches his face.Â
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âYou know what happens if we get caught donât you.â
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âYes!â says David. Clearly annoyed.Â
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âOk. What?â
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âTheyâll make us get weird jobs and take all our money and control everything. Iâm not an idiot.â
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âYour right,â says Francie. But youâre only twelve years old. You still need me and dad.
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âI know,â says David crossing his arms. âWhy do they do this to us anyway? Why canât we just choose how we live our lives?â
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Francie sighs. âDad says itâs just human behavior. He says when humans get too much power, they abuse it.Â
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âAbuse it?â asks David.
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âYeah. Sometimes the monster just gets so big, you canât beat it. They make it seem like youâre just living in a normal world. Everything is good. Taken care of. When really, they know everything youâre doing. They control everything you see. Everything you hear. Everything you do. Thereâs no more thoughts, opinions, or heroes. Just Leadership, regular people, and traitors.â
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âAnd were the traitors?â David asks.
The opening scene of Adam Kirsteinâs New Haven is a fight for survival against the Regimentâs military in an isolated house for refugees of New Haven. The story switches characters to show why New Haven citizens became complicit in the Regimentâs atrocities. The main characters are anti-terrorism surveillance worker James and his wife Sybil, a bank teller. James and Sybil have low-level managerial jobs that afford them many amenities from the Regiment, unlike lowly plebs, but not as luxurious as leaders experience. All citizens who do not want to be deemed traitors live by a strict moral and legal code known as The Way that emphasizes the abolishment of the self in favor of serving the Regiment. James and Sybil struggle to find where to draw the line between serving their sense of humanity or serving the Regiment for protection and power.Â
To keep people complicit and feeling good without giving them freedom, the Regiment offers approved activities and non-precious material desires to make people feel good. This framing keeps the Regiment afloat and is analyzed well through flashbacks of New Havenâs history. Americans allowed the Regiment to take over post-war under the promise that things would be good for those who embodied The Way. People are satisfied enough to maintain the status quo keeping the operations for citizens going smoothly, and leadership members who can aspire to greatness are so motivated and so afraid to be merely satisfied with life that they are willing to lie, hurt, kill, and punish the innocent and guilty alike. The opening scene is of people just doing their jobs to maintain their livelihood because not following your government means disobeying The Way and risking a terrorist label. It would have been great to see more from people who fully embodied that mentality to break down the thought process. Â
This book discusses control of citizensâ finances and pleasures including sexual experiences. New Haven isnât crude but contains sexual situations, sex work, domestic violence, gore, and descriptions of torture. These uncomfortable topics are important because the abuse of women gives men a sense of power keeping them compliant with New Haven. Mature readers looking for a dystopian post-war thriller in a surveillance state are encouraged to pick this book. The book is not professionally proofread but is still an easy and approachable read about morality under government duress. Â