Matthew Binder, "The Absolved" (Black Spot Books, 2018)

New Books in Literature · Mar 21, 2019 · 43m

Henri is a middle-aged doctor, one of the few employed people left in the U.S, though the reader suspect his job might be in danger. The hospital administrator, Serena, keeps reducing staff. A large sector of the population, the Absolved are freed from doing any work and receive a guaranteed minimum income. Their days are spent watching sports on TV, or like Henri’s wife, Rachel, staying productive with charity work. Another contingent of people can’t register for the guaranteed income; they’re known as the dispossessed. Political upheaval results as another election draws near; the liberal…