They Is Us

They Is Us: A Cautionary Horror Story.

Years from now America finds itself split between the rich and the poor. The haves live in luxury within the small regions that remain unpolluted, while the have-nots inhabit a toxic suburbia full of terrorism, crime, and genetic mutations — perhaps not all that different from today. This is the story of one family from the poor side. Julie has a job as a summer intern at an animal laboratory. She can't resist taking home the discarded mutants and her house is filled with genetic castoffs. Her mother, Murielle, has kicked out her stepfather and now, seemingly from nowhere, finds herself subject to the attentions of multimillionaire businessman A. J. M. Bishrop — who is only dating Murielle because he wants to get Julie's underage sister into bed. Just your typical American family story. Set against a backdrop of increasingly invasive technology, growing pollution, and the president's impending gay marriage (to be broadcast live across the nation), Tama Janowitz has written a prophetic novel which is funny, and frequently hilarious, but so uncannily believable that it is chilling to read. This really could be the future.