What if you could stay young forever?
What if you never had to grow old?
Ben has no qualms about signing up for the Evergreens project, a controversial new trial. But are the promises of life without ageing too good to be true?
Sophie has no doubt that they are. And sixty-five years down the line, she gets the chance to find out.
With Ben in hospital, unresponsive and ageing rapidly before her very eyes, can Sophie uncover the dark secret at the heart of the Evergreens project – and save Ben’s life in the process?
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Evergreens by Liam Brown was published on 15 June 2023 by Legend Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour
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Many years ago I read and reviewed Liam Brown's second novel, Wild Life. I really enjoyed his style of writing, it felt fresh and exciting. I'm not sure why I've not read his later novels and will aim to rectify that very soon!
Evergreens has such an unusual premise. I was intrigued to read the blurb which really ticks all of the boxes that I want in a novel. However, it wasn't what I expected at all. That's not a criticism, or a negative in any way though, because this is such a poignant, and a times heart shredding story that not only entertains, but also contains a wonderful message about being human.
The story begins in the year 2070 with elderly Sophie sitting by the hospital bed of Ben. Sophie and Ben met as teenagers, but Ben is still young, whilst Sophie has aged normally. This introduction sets the scene for the chapters set in the future, explaining the new ways and how difficult it can be to decide if the person you are speaking to is actually a human being, or a hologram.
The reader is then swept back to 2005 where Sophie and Ben meet for the very first time, their story continues through the years, culminating in Ben's decision to take part in a controversial trial called the Evergreens Project. Those who take part are promised that they will never get old, they will stay young forever.
This is a love story, combined with gentle science-fiction set in a dystopian future. I loved the structure of the novel, I'm a fan of multiple time lines and I find it fascinating how the characters are developed throughout the years. Both Ben and Sophie are beautifully created, they have very different backgrounds and their outlooks are often very different, but their relationship is wonderfully done. The reader may not always like Ben, he seems to enjoy wasting his time, pondering instead of doing, yet there is something compulsive about him too.
The heart of this novel is the message about immortality, and how something that can be marketed as a wonderful thing often hides dangerous and darker things. One of the most obvious, and frightening things about this story is the relevance to things that are already happening in our world today. As technology takes huge leaps and bounds we are seeing things on a daily basis that most of us could never have imagined. And whilst a lot of this is great, there are definitely things that need to slow down before huge damage is caused.
Liam Brown is a gifted author, with a great imagination and the ability to snare his readers with perfectly formed, if often flawed, characters.
A book to savour and to think about for a long time after closing the final page.
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Broadcast (2017), Skin (2019) and Evergreens (2023).
His work has been published internationally, translated into several languages and optioned by a major Hollywood studio.
He lives in Birmingham, England, with his wife and two children.
Twitter @LiamBrownWriter
Instagram @liambrownwriter
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