Utopia Café by David T. Hejna

A riff on Orwell’s 1984 from the other side of the political spectrum, David T. Hejna’s Utopia Café is a compelling, though slanted dystopian satire, following a couple living under a repressive socialist regime. Tom, a prominent young party affiliate, and Izzy, a member of the underground resistance movement, will have to work together if they want to improve their circumstances and change society for the better. Some of Hejna’s one-to-one satirical comparisons don’t always ring true, and seem more like political commentary, but this novel will likely appeal to those on one side of the political divide, who agree with the potentiality of the book’s premise, and who will be nodding their heads in recognition.