The Transition is set in Britain of the near future, when buying property has become too expensive for the majority, and rents are so high that even well paid professionals cannot afford them. Nonetheless married couple Karl and Genevieve are happy until Karl's debt spirals out of control and he's convicted of fraud.
Rather than prison, Karl signs himself and his wife up for a six-month project called "The Transition", which involves them living with and being mentored by Stu and Jenna, a successful, older couple. There's something comical about their fervent desire to help, but also something vaguely creepy and cultish about the process that purports to turn "failures" into "successes". The story is told from the point of view of Karl, a likeable character who loves his wife and his job, but seems to have little in the way of ambition.
Luke Kennard manages to generate and maintain tension throughout the story. I was rooting for Karl and Genevieve and by the end felt rather sorry for Stu and Jenna. The baddie of the book was The Transition's shadowy corporate entity. I was disappointed by the ending and wanted it to be different than it was, but it's Kennard's work and not mine.
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