Utopian novels may not grab as many headlines as their evil dystopian twins, but they still inspire millions one page at a time. Joining the proud recent tradition of "The Celestine Prophecy" and "The Alchemist" in imagining a world kinder and gentler than the one we live in is "The Gap Year," telling three intertwined stories of strong, modern women in crisis. While surviving, respectively, a peaceful protest that became a riot, burnout as an addiction counselor, and a high school graduation from pot to Oxy, all three seek better lives for themselves and 8 billion of their closest friends.
Follow Psychology Ph.D candidate Jennifer Jensen from San Diego to Canada mid-pandemic as she tries to research her dissertation on the benefits of defunding the police. She makes this desperate run to Canada because they are the only democracy cutting their police and prison spending and no one is talking about how they are doing it. Dr. Stephanie Maugham is in charge of the secret program making those cost savings possible. She is ably assisted by the handsome Mountie Roger Olafsdottir, who makes the trip to the Great White North much more interesting for Jennifer. And, one of the students in the middle of this secret program is Berenice Nolan, proto-rebel who's convinced every instructor and counselor is trying to kill her. All three learn from each other as their lives briefly intersect in the beautiful summer of 2020 in Ottawa, Canada.
And, in the end, some readers will agree this novel describes a healthy path forward. Some will probably try to get the book banned and will likely succeed in Florida and Texas. Either way, it's impossible not to react to the experience of reading "The Gap Year."