A dystopian novel featuring an America which has fragmented into two major blocs amongst others - the New Republic east of the Mississippi and The Republican States of America to the south.

In Virginia Haven’s family, who had prepared for the inevitable breakdown of society, resist the call to join the New Republic’s Community, densely populated walled cities where people can not only be safe  but can also be more easily controlled. They  are convinced to allow Haven to join, however, by Adrien, a handsome and charismatic leader of a pack (a group of talented young people designed to be future leaders) who has spotted her intelligence and potential. Most people are compelled to join the Community  under the guise of disaster recovery, as the world outside is hazardous, with a major epidemic of a rabies-like infection still raging, and outlaws and villains prowling a land which has been allowed to revert to nature. Under Adrien’s tutelage Haven becomes an administrator but Adrien has a sadistic streak.

Interwoven with Haven’s story is that of Nathan who has been in a coma for twenty years and awakens in a Texas hospital to discover that he has a son, born after his accident,  who may possibly be in the New Republic and that Haven’s parents might know where, so he prepares to cross the border illegally.

The world-building of this new order, while not particularly original (I was reminded of Huxley’s Brave New World) is cleverly done, with explanations of how the system works shown by its effects on the various characters, not least Haven and her friends.  Each individual is clearly drawn, occasionally with vividly telling touches. Adrian, for example, is ‘young for a leader of a pack but confident, and what he lacked in age he made up in confidence and a delicate touch of sadism.’ Describing the sudden and devastating end of the old order it says that it ‘all came down in a thunderous cacophony of destruction.’

In a rather overlong preface I occasionally felt that too much time was spent on present mistakes and errors of governance but once it got going the story was gripping. with the reader not knowing which direction the tale would take and being kept in constant fear for Haven. In all an excellent read,