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Amelia is in her early 20s and staunchly anti-Merge until her mother, Laurie, is told that merging would cure her advancing Alzheimer’s. They participate in the Preparation Period of three months, where they undergo rigorous exercises to help with the Merge; where Laurie’s consciousness will join Amelia’s in Amelia’s body. They both question whether this is truly what they want to do, but it’s not until they’re in the Village – a luxurious rehabilitation centre for Merged people – that the questions start really piling up.

The Merge is a process to help those in poverty. Lush accommodations are reserved for those who have Merged, as well as better job offers, higher pay, and even access to post-secondary education. Never mind that the people are in poverty because the government started levying high taxes to everything, including childbirth. These taxes could be so high that Merging was the only option to get out of debt.

The author did quite well with ramping up tension in the novel. The reader finds out early on that Amelia has participated in protests and finds Merging abhorrent, but yet continues to attend the Preparation exercises. Laurie, who was told her husband died in an anti-Merge riot, is also against Merging yet continues to attend the exercises to appease her daughter.

Once they Merge, Amelia has difficulty adapting to the new reality. A Support Worker helps her to see what’s really going on, just as she starts understanding what the Merge is really about.

The plot is well executed, the characters wonderfully believable, and the worldbuilding felt complete enough that I didn’t question why a billionaire would fund something like the Merge.