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What’s The Worst World I Can Imagine
Inside Out follows a young man and his friends as they see their dystopian world torn apart by Freedom Fighters and their government’s harsh reaction to them. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I began writing this novel over a decade ago – when I was twelve years old. I was quite an angsty teenager (I am now quite an angsty twenty-something!) I suppose the real genesis of this novel was asking the question “what’s the worst world I can imagine and what would the consequences be of that?” Worryingly, I think the premis has got closer to reality over time.
Zack is an interesting character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Inside Out has an ensemble cast – all dear to my heart – but Zack is one of my favourites! He has a very fierce protective streak in him and that gets more apparent as the story goes on. Without wishing to give too much away, that need to protect leads him to take some fairly extreme measures. Whether or not they’re sensible – I’ll leave the readers to decide!
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the biggest themes I wanted to tackle was the destructive evil of prejudice. As a disabled woman, that’s something I’ve had to contend with all my life. It is such a pointless, baseless concept, and yet it ruins so many lives. I also wanted to tackle the fact that those who are in power are not always the best suited to it, and the lengths they will go to maintain their standing.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently running final checks on the sequel to Inside Out. Hopefully, it will be released by the end of this year. I am so excited for my lovely readers to experience it!
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While the Insiders appear pampered and privileged, the Outsiders know only harsh realities. Believing themselves to be needlessly deprived of everything the Insiders have, the younger generation channel their rage into a terrorist group called The Freedom Fighters, a group intent on overthrowing the Inside at any cost. Now the Insiders must watch as the world they love collapses around them while the government resort to increasingly desperate tactics to try and contain the Outside threat. When the latest initiative catapults one of the young into the heart of the war, everything is pushed to breaking point.
Loyalties will be tested. Lives will be risked. Their worlds will change forever.
Inside Out
![Inside Out by [Natalie Hibberd]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rYtG2eIOL.jpg)
Like most dystopian science fiction novels, the world of Natalie Hibberd’s Inside Out feels closer to reality than it may seem. It tells the story of Zack McGregor and his gang of friends who live in a world divided by greed and hatred. They live in The Inside, a city that promises eternal safety and comfort – or so it seems. Lurking literally in The Outside are the Freedom Fighters, who will stop at nothing to destroy Zack’s beloved city and everything it stands for. Now The Inside government is taking desperate measures to maintain the calm, but it’s only a matter of time before everything implodes.
The writing of Inside Out is very conversational, proving that you don’t have to be flowery to tell a good story. Some might find it overly simplistic, but there are passages here and there that paint a lovely picture in such a small amount of words. Hibberd clearly knows what she’s doing with her sparse language. This minimalism also makes the novel an easy and thrilling read despite the heavy subject matter. You can read this in one afternoon yet still feel your heart pounding from start to finish. There are little details per chapter, so like a binge-able Netflix series, we’re always left asking, “What’s going to happen next?”
While I enjoyed the story, I felt that the world-building could have provided more depth and nuance. While the short chapters make for a quick, roller-coaster read, I wanted to spend more time exploring the characters to form a deeper connection to them. The pace sends the pages flying, but an additional page or two in moments where characters are experiencing emotional turmoil would have helped me make a connection with those characters.
The writing is beautiful – stunning, even, at times. Inside Out is an entertaining dystopian sci-fi novel that has the potential to stand out in a packed genre. If you are a fan of young adult science fiction stories then you will surely enjoy this eloquent and evocative page-turner.
Pages: 241 | ASIN: B081D1JQYY
LITERARY TITAN 