Everything Belongs to the Future

n the closing years of the 21st century, in a Britain suffering the consequences of global warming and subsequent flooding, society is further divided by the invention of the fix , a pill that allows a privileged minority to live vastly extended lives. The rich and famous co-opt not only the albeit dubious benefits of longevity, but dictate the cultural and political mood of the nation. Nina is part of an anarchist cell in flooded Oxford, who, alongside the pill's inventor, are scheming to subvert the use of the drug. Meanwhile Nina's lover, Alex, has his own agenda. Penny skilfully presents characters torn by desire, both emotional and intellectual, and packs more into a hundred pages than is found in many a bloated trilogy. Everything Belongs to the Future is a brilliant fiction debut, a searing indictment of the misuse of privilege and a dire warning about the consequences of allowing power to fall into the hands of a self-elected elite.