The premise of the novel is great; it definitely got my interest when I heard of it years ago, but I kept pushing it down my reading list. Maybe I've been tainted by YA, but I feel like it fell flat with its idea. I wanted revolution! Change! And instead I got an interesting and clever plot that started with plain characters in boring situations and ended in a perfect convergence of plots. Also, the writing reminded me of the Hitchhiker's Guide; not quite as witty, but still direct without reading off as simplistic.

I did read through this pretty quickly so some issues I have are mostly my fault. For example, the characters often left me wondering who they were. I'd start their viewpoint and would completely forget which plot their name is linked to but the author did a good job of reminding me without hitting me over the head with it. The characters themselves are also really well made. They are distinct from each other in not so subtle ways, making it easier to rely on their actions and words to distinguish them instead of their names.

It was great seeing how one small decision a boring office worker made spiralled into a huge debacle, combining all of our characters' efforts and weaving their stories so seamlessly. I wish I paid a bit more attention because I've already forgotten how some characters ended up (mostly minor ones, however), and I wish their stories had more closure, but the ending with John and Theo was perfect; that last line hit it so well. It left the issue hanging, making me wonder if one day someone else will try for my aforementioned hoped-for revolution, yet wrapped up this story about their government nicely.

I could've done without some super direct writing (there are quite a few scenes where someone cries, and usually it's the scene ending with "and NAME cried"), and the story might've done better with a different title (I believed Jennifer Government would be the one to bring down the disestablishment and the story in the end didn't feel like it had one main protagonist - let alone Jennifer), but it was a good read.