It’s my day on the The Warehouse by Rob Hart blog tour, organised by Anne Cater and I couldn’t be more excited to share my bookish thoughts about this spectacular (*spoiler*) that I’ve been sitting on since I finished it the 2nd week of July! I thought I was going to pop! Thanks goes to Anne for my spot on the tour and to Transworld for the proof copy to read in preparation for the tour. The Warehouse was released on the 13th of August, in all but paperback formats. You can grab yourself a hardback copy of this dystopian thriller here.
Rob Hart has been a political reporter, the communications director for a politician, a commissioner for the city of New York and is currently a publisher. The Warehouse is his first standalone novel and has been optioned for film by Ron Howard, director of Rush and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Rob lives in Staten Island, New York.
Gun violence, climate change and unemployment have ravaged the United States beyond recognition.
Amidst the wreckage, an online retail giant named Cloud reigns supreme. Cloud brands itself not just as an online storefront, but as a global saviour. Yet, beneath the sunny exterior, lurks something far more sinister.
Paxton never thought he’d be working Security for the company that ruined his life, much less that he’d be moving into one of their sprawling live-work facilities. But compared to what’s left outside, perhaps Cloud isn’t so bad. Better still, through his work he meets Zinnia, who fills him with hope for their shared future.
Except that Zinnia is not what she seems. And Paxton, with his all-access security credentials, might just be her meal ticket.
As Paxton and Zinnia’s agendas place them on a collision course, they’re about to learn just how far the Cloud will go to make the world a better place.To beat the system, you have to be inside it.
The Warehouse in my mind can be added to that incredible pile of debuts that are fitted perfectly for the times, it’s incredibly eye opening and convincingly chilling. When Paxton and Zinnia begin their employee journeys at MotherCloud you immediately know that there is a looming agenda over their career choice. The ‘interview’ process is extremely impersonal as they are reduced to numbers and categorised into jobs that fit their skills. Employed and given positions without coming face to face with an individual of importance, for me references how the humans have become slaves to the technological world. Not only is The Warehouse focused on the robotic sense of humanity, but also the extreme poverty that has pushed these ‘worker ants’ into the world of extreme commercialism and control.
With nods towards the ‘American Dream’ and how unrealistic it is, while toxic desperation leads to people accepting their segregation; colour coordinated uniforms and living quarters, with a technological watch dog always present. The Warehouse is a contemporary day 1984 that creates an extremely realistic dystopian that will peak the reader’s fears. Although The Warehouse is a creation of fiction, Rob Hart has injected non-fictional themes amongst the pages that not only makes it a powerful eye opener but also a thought provoker.
I practically inhaled this anti-utopia read, The Warehouse drew me into an alarmingly sinister world of oppression and misery with a use of multi-narration, through the eyes of Zinnia – Zinnia is planning, her conniving demeanour had me teetering on the edge of my seat awaiting my questions to be answered, what is she hiding I asked myself? Paxton – a puppy dog of a man, where MotherCloud is his only option for survival and Gibson – the owner of MotherCloud, through his dialogue the readers are filled in on the foundation of the corporation. The three characters are completely different in terms of personality and the way that they’re visually created. All three compliment one another, which shows the dedication of character development, while allowing the tension of this dystopian thriller to elevate to further levels every single chapter. I love it when a variety of point of views are used, sometimes it can be confusing and annoying but Rob has completely nailed it, he’s completely nailed the whole book to be honest – he’s planned and written every chapter with such articulation. I seriously can’t fault it!
A well written dystopia that chilled me with its Brave New World feels, constant surveillance, while constantly working to survive the times of incredible destitution, a time that feels only over the horizon. The Warehouse is written with a delicious concoction of suspense and denial, it’s not just a place of work, it’s like The Good Place for working desperation, everyone lives, eats and works on site. A thought that I was left with after finishing the book was are we really as free as we think?
Quote of the book for me?
“That’s the thing about freedom. It’s yours until you give it up.” when will we know? When it’s too late? We need to work to pay bills, we are always in this hamster wheel motion – invasion of privacy” – Zannia
The Warehouse will certainly stick with you long after you finish the last page. If you’re an acknowledgement / letter to the reader – reader like me, Rob Hart talks the reader through his inspiration for this novel, he delves into the heart-breaking circumstances of a death that could have been avoided if huge corporations treated their employees like people, instead of robots. The inclusion of the story of Maria Fernandes, for me created a further authentic feel to the story, while completely ripping out my heart!
The Warehouse is out now, and I highly recommend you grab a copy, it’s a full five star read for me – I completely loved it, I hope you will too! Make sure to check out the other posts from the bloggers of the tour using #TheWarehouse
My thanks again to Anne for allowing me to be part of this tour, as well as to Transworld for my review copy.
The Reading Closet 
Huge thanks for the blog tour support Danielle x
LikeLike