Taken to the extreme ends of the Earth

Kessel has laid out his vision in an irresistibly entertaining way. Set in the 22nd century, the novel follows a man and a woman in two opposing cities on the moon.

In the Society of Cousins, men give up the right to vote in exchange for an elevated and pampered status where they show off their skills as artists, athletes and lovers.

The Society’s rival, Persepolis, is a city with patriarchal power structures more reflective of our own. The Society is deemed a threat by all the patriarchal cities around it, and a committee is created to investigate the status of men – and potentially reveal secret weaponry created by a female scientist.

This book is funny, sexy and charming, its characters are nuanced and relatable. Kessel has written a book about ideologies taken to extremes, but also about how a person of character, a hero, is created.