A friend of mine recently recommended Chain-Gang All-Stars and I thought it was a really cheesy title for a book, but gave it a shot anyways.
After finishing the audiobook version of the novel, I'd just like to say: Holy shit.
-The story follows several perspectives surrounding the titular national "Hard-Action Sport" Chain-Gang All-Stars which has the American Prison complex taken to an extreme where death-row inmates fight to the death in televised spectacles.
I've seen it called the "Black Handmaids Tale", and I don't think I can put it any better than that. It's a dystopian vision of the future that feels just outside the edge of possibility. Like this alternate reality is only a handful of insane decisions away.
It's a story that had me cycling through emotions and it cycled through perspectives. Disgust, awe, shock, hope, adrenaline. Back to shock, back to disgust.
The author sprinkles in harsh realities about the American prison system throughout, reminding the reader how close we already are to this bleak vision. One fact that's stuck with me is how the 13th amendment forbids slavery except as punishment for a crime. I thought that was part of the world-building, but go look it up.
I'm glad I went the audiobook route on this one, as the narrators were able to add nuance to the reading that would have went completely over my head. The pain and exhaustion they managed to own and layer on top of the writing was unreal, and the Hendricks chapters in particular were pure art.
I can only recommend this book. If you have the option I recommend it in audiobook form. There were a couple of pacing issues, a few of the "bad" characters were predictable caricatures, but the work's overall impact easily overshadows the few hiccups.