This Great Hemisphere

Askaripour, award-winning author of the bestseller Black Buck, tries his hand at speculative science fiction that takes place 500 years in the future. The story follows invisible Sweetmint as she searches for her brother, who is the prime suspect in a political murder. In this dystopian world, minorities are invisible, and racism continually impacts their existence. Actor Emana Rachelle narrates the audiobook. Her voice is smooth and dynamic, but the dialogue characterizations are at times sing-songy, unconvincing, and cringeworthy. Clocking in at over 15 hours, this story has steam only in the first chapter. It begins quick-witted and fascinating, with the mother of the first invisible child, but then the plot jumps to a futuristic reality that is confusing, disjointed, and packed with racial allegories that give pause as they mimic present-day issues and problems. Overall, the futuristic plot is difficult to follow as a listener.