The Record Keeper

By: Agnes Gomillion

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Record Keeper is a visceral and thrilling near-future dystopia examining past and present race relations. 

After World War III, Earth is in ruins, and the final armies have come to a reluctant truce. Everyone must obey the law - in every way - or risk shattering the fragile peace and endangering the entire human race. 

Although Arika Cobane is a member of the race whose backbreaking labor provides food for the remnants of humanity, she is destined to become a member of the Kongo elite. After 10 grueling years of training, she is on the threshold of taking her place of privilege far from the fields. But everything changes when a new student arrives. 

Hosea Khan spews dangerous words of treason: What does peace matter if innocent lives are lost to maintain it? As Arika is exposed to new beliefs, she realizes that the laws she has dedicated herself to uphold are the root of her people's misery. 

If Arika is to liberate her people, she must unearth her fierce heart and discover the true meaning of freedom: finding the courage to live - or die - without fear.

©2019 Agnes Gomillion (P)2019 Recorded Books

just for the Record:

this was a phenomenal story. It was set in a realistic yet imaginable settings. The characters are well-developed, the narration brings all of them to life! Will definitely read it again.

It took me a chapter or two to get hooked

once this story swallowed me and I started to understand the design of post old world America society, I couldn't stop! History runs full-circle and it it scary how plausable this story is!

A little frustrating on various fronts

I finished the book, though I think had I gotten it from the library, I might not have.

I didn't find Arika, the main character, very interesting or likable. While she wasn't totally unlikable, the depth of her denial (while understandable) about the reality of her situation, her world, was tedious. And speaking of the world: We are told, in dribs and drabs, how the world came to be in the state it's in--and that's fine, I don't mind information dumps in this type of book, but I had trouble picturing the actual world--not enough description.

Probably the only thing that kept me going was the theme of racial injustice.

Thoughtful, Heartbreaking, and Cool

As the world of The Record Keeper takes shape, there is a picture of a scarred Earth. Its easy to see the logic in the degradation and fear that created this world. This is so important to me when reading something set in a dystopian future. The Record Keeper does not disappoint. The heroine mirrors this with her own fractured and demoralized existence. It is emotional. There is real artistry in the way that the story progresses showing political, social, and personal scabs painfully being sloughed away. Add to this, one of the coolest futuristic weaponry ideas and I was hooked. You will be too.

Compelling story telling

I enjoyed this book and the narration on Audible. I rooted for Arika and felt the revelations with her as her story and destiny unfolded.

one of the best books I've read this year

I loved these characters, the world building and the storytelling in a way I dont usually like all three. this is a great book for our time, and had as much of an impact as the giver.

Barely Sci Fi

The story is convoluted. Erica doesn't follow logic. Almost two separate stories squished together.

uneven 3.5

pretty good first published novel. lots of promise. liked the story, just a few places where the message or writing was a bit obvious or simplistic.