In a near-future dystopian society, siblings Briar and Rose navigate a world of surveillance and control, resisting categorization and seeking connection amidst societal upheaval. Through their bond with a horse named Gliff, themes of resistance, humanity, and the impact of technology are explored in a narrative rich with wordplay and social commentary.

Reader Review Summary

Here is my review of the book "Gliff" by Ali Smith:

Ali Smith has once again crafted a masterful and imaginative novel that deftly blends playful language with profound insights on identity, society, and humanity's relationship with the natural world. "Gliff" is a stunning tour de force - an enthralling dystopian tale narrated through the innocent yet whip-smart perspective of a non-binary teen named Briar.

Set in a chilling near-future version of Britain, Smith vividly renders a surveillance state where citizens are categorized, monitored, and oppressed through invasive technologies that strip away privacy and individuality. The story follows Briar and their younger sister Rose as they are separated from their activist mother and forced to go into hiding as "Unverifiables" - rebels who have evaded the regime's totalitarian control systems. With rich emotional depth, Smith captures the siblings' struggle to forge their own path while society attempts to mold them into rigid conformity.

At its core, "Gliff" is a poignant exploration of the beauty and resilience of the nonconforming self in the face of dehumanizing cultural forces. Briar's wise-beyond-their-years musings on language, identity, and the nature of power are rendered with Smith's trademark virtuosic wordplay and incisive social commentary. Their complex inner life provides a beating heart to the novel's incisive critique of soulless technocracy and rampant corporatism run amok.

The arrival of the titular horse Gliff brings a burst of vibrant life, serving as a potent symbol of freedom, kinship, and humanity's primal bond with nature itself. Rose's deep connection to Gliff evokes a childlike sense of wonder and care often crushed by the cruelties of the regime. These tender moments balance the bleakness with radiant optimism about the enduring human capacities for empathy, curiosity and love.

While undoubtedly a dystopian novel, "Gliff" is far from just another young adult fiction with a gritty futuristic backdrop. Smith has gifted readers with a rich, nuanced character study that transcends genre through its poetic yet grounded voice. Her vibrant descriptions of nature's ephemeral "gliffs" - fleeting moments of beauty, terror, revelation- instill the novel with a profound sense of romanticism amid the stark prose.

"Gliff" is a dazzling, genre-blending triumph that cements Smith as a contemporary master at the peak of her powers. Her talent for mapping the depths of the human experience, however ordinary or extraordinary the circumstances, shines through on every page. While unsettling in its plausibility, the novel kindles hope by suggesting that our shared humanity can never be fully extinguished as long as we nurture our curiosity, open our eyes to life's radiant "gliffs", and cherish the wild, unquantifiable mysteries that make us who we are. It promises that the companion novel "Glyph" will take readers on another transcendent literary journey.