Well, this was an interesting little sci-fi read.

A teenager and his blended family are on vacation by the lake. When they wake up, the lake is gone and they find themselves alone on a curiously contained farm. Is it a fever dream? Alien abduction? A parallel universe? A government conspiracy? They have no idea. All they know is they can't get out for three long years.

Then, another family arrives.

The teen and his family are pacifist, intellectual, mixed-race Canadians. The other family is American, led by their racist, conspiracy theorist, gun-toting, mentally unstable father.

The story is not about the sci-fi elements, or the mystery behind who kidnapped these people. It never really answers the worldbuilding questions, though it does heavily hint at the answers. Instead, it's about the conflict among the cast. Should they choose to content themselves with their domesticated life within the strict parameters of their captors (holy Canadians), or risk punishment and worse by rebelling against their captors (debased Americans) and trying to escape?

Xavier, our main character, is a likable everyman with perhaps one braincell. He is understandably torn between the two worlds. It's a compelling scenario, and I was interested the whole time.

The only thing is, the message of this book left me slightly baffled. What is it saying? That the intolerance of captivity, no matter how benevolent the bondage, is a destructive impulse antithetical to the greater good of humanity? Maybe I'm too much of a debased American to be satisfied with this.