Book Review: Enclave

I was pleasantly surprised by Enclave by Ann Aguirre, the July selection for the Goodreads Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia group.



Elements of Enclave reminded me of City of Ember. When the world up top becomes uninhabitable for whatever reason (like plague, nuclear holocaust, alien invasion), survivors duck down below ground to create a new civilization. After who-knows-how-many generations underground, the culture below has developed into a well-controlled citizenry that has only a distant attachment to the world on top. Citizens of our underground world don’t trust the viability of life up there.


The world of Enclave is dark and murky. The life expectancy is around 25 years, presumably due to poor nutrition and sub-par living conditions, not to mention the lack of vitamin D. Consequently most characters in the story are teenagers. Enclaves of people live in subway tunnels. The social structure in the “College” enclave is carefully stratified. Youngsters are called “brats” and have a number for their name until their naming ceremony when they are in their teens. They receive a brand and a role—hunter, breeder, or builder. Everyone has their place and they stick to it—or else. The underground enclaves have limited contact with each other, so, like the old walled towns of Italy, dialects and traditions emerge. For example, the zombie creatures that plague the tunnels are called “freaks” by the College enclave and “eaters” by the Jengu group. We don’t even know what the Nassau enclave calls them.

I enjoyed the detail that author Ann Aguirre put into her world, and I was thankful that she did not take the romantic line of the story in a slobbery direction. The setting is at the forefront, and Aguirre throws you clues along the way as to what part of the world you’re in. It’s a fun puzzle, and you’ll be satisfied to know that there is an answer! You have to read the whole book, though.

The culture of the College enclave is borne out as we follow the life of our protagonist Deuce, who has just been through her naming ceremony. As she branches out from the bowels of the enclave to administer her duties as a hunter, she learns about the layout of the underground, other creatures living below, and eventually the world topside. And as Deuce learns, so do we.