Even in a dystopian future, there’s hope in what happens when someone decides to do the right thing

Teresa Godfrey’s “Wipe Out” tells the story of a tough military driver who unexpectedly finds himself leading a revolution. In this world, society is recovering from a deadly disease that has caused the collapse of civilization. To prevent something like this from happening again, the leaders of this new world are pursuing perfect health and harmony for their people.

Citizens are discouraged from forming personal relationships that may obscure their dedication to the cause. There is no friendship. There is no family unit. Everyone is genetically modified and born in a factory.

Well, almost everyone.

Hazel was used to the dangerous job of escorting archaeologists through the bush in search of remnants of old human societies. When a young soldier joins her ranks, she does her best to toughen him up. But something is wrong with him, and when she suddenly finds him dead, holding a picture of a woman and a boy, the life she knows is changed forever.

She soon discovers an experiment in which children were raised by their mothers until they were ten years old. She begins to doubt her mother, the woman who gave birth to her in the factory. Even more disturbingly, she begins to care about others.

What makes this plot compelling is its unpredictability. The story begins with the mystery of the people in the photos and Hazel’s mission to track them down. But things soon turn into action as she is forced to make a fateful decision to help others escape a dangerous situation. By the end, it shifts again to the feel of a political thriller, with Hazel and the other characters grappling with their findings and how best to act.

In person, Hazel looks stern and tough, but clearly isn’t quite there yet. It’s nice to see her slowly succumb to the feelings she’s been taught to deny, and it’s often amusing to see her superficial yet stubborn expression of indifference to others. Although she has a lot of agency of her own, she often acts as if she has no agency. Instead, she is driven by the forces unleashed around her and within her. In a way, that’s how the story is built. The plot feels like a fallen pebble slowly turning into a landslide that threatens to destroy the seemingly solid foundation of this dystopian world.

The final act of the story happens suddenly and then quietly. It’s a touching and satisfying ending, but some readers may find it a little too terse and behind-the-scenes.

“Wipe Out” is highly recommended for readers who enjoy stories about the importance and impact of relationships and character-centered dystopian novels. It’s also an easy read for the average fiction reader as there isn’t a lot of technical jargon or any concepts that are out of touch with reality.

All in all, this is a story about one of those rare moments when many factors come together to trigger rapid change. A pivot point. Flashpoints occur because the right people are in the position to make things happen and, most importantly, choose to do so.