This novella told from four very different viewpoints in alternating chapters looks at how a basic income, awarded to all in the country, rich or poor, could effect individuals, communities, and American culture. Thought provoking speculative fiction,

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received an eArc of this sci-fi novella through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .

I wanted to read this near-futuristic novella because it deals with the topic of an Universal Basic Income ("UBI") in the United States.  The idea is that on January 15th, the U.S. government hands out the UBI payment to its citizens.  The novella follows four people who get their payments that day.

The author was clear in her forward that she would not get into the specifics of how the UBI was determined or how the programs worked and would focus on how it affected the characters.  I thought this was a sad choice especially given the research briefly mentioned.  I personally would have preferred a sci-fi work that dealt more with practicalities.  Though I get that a novella would make this hard.

But ultimately this was just an okay read.  It felt like a slice of life piece with no real point.  Was UBI good or bad?  I don't know.  How the UBI really impacted the character's lives was very lightly touched on.  It emotionally felt like UBI was being criticized for helping no one but with no real details.  So I don't actually know if that is what the author was trying to say. The complicated issue of UBI felt like a backdrop with no realism.  

Also, for me personally, I felt that the characters all felt very one-dimensional - not quite caricatures but close.  Pregnant teen cult member.  Mother dealing with domestic violence.  Bored rich college kid.  Activist turned journalist who is jaded about the policy she set into place.  The plot felt surface level because it takes place on one day and none of the plotlines resolve.

It was a quick read that I felt didn't do the topic justice even it I thought the concept was interesting.  Arrrr!

January Fifteenth uses the perspectives of four very different women to explore the benefits and potential pitfalls (including the negative, often racist or classist ones!) of universal basic income (UBI)—yet each character's narrative is never fully realized.

Although conceptually compelling, the book felt incomplete: a surface-level view of a hugely complicated issue. There wasn't enough time for meaningful character development, and I kept waiting for the individual narratives to braid into one another. Instead, the novella flashes between each woman's experience without any real reason for doing so—and the greater message (and pacing) suffers for it.

What I will say is that I'm curious about the world Swirsky created—and I'd like more than just a glimpse. Her near-future America feels like a logical (if somewhat yikes) extension of where we are now, and the cultural trends she predicts are often more interesting than the characters living inside them.

It's a fast read, though, and I hope it'll get more folks thinking about UBI.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advance copy for review.

A creative writing exercise that should probably have been work-shopped more, January Fifteenth reads more like a criticism of the idea of a universal basic income than a novella. The characters speak in soliloquies and the events of the stories seem forced and come out of nowhere. On January 15th, everyone in America receives some money to help support them through the year. Despite the payments being a lifeline for three of the four perspective characters, every character, from major to minor, seems to be opposed to the payments. The stories of Janelle, Sarah, and Hannah are didactic and flat, with characters giving speeches rather than having conversations. The only story that has any depth is Olivia's, the story about rich kids finding ways to waste money, and even that one has faux-philosophical ramblings instead of character development. Maybe Swirsky is a brilliant writer, but in January Fifteenth she doesn't show it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At the same time harrowing and hopeful, Swirsky delivers a gut-punch that will leave you reeling in thought.
This novella makes a trip into the near future to explore the concept of America with a universal basic income. Told from four women whose lives span the economic and social gulfs that already exist today. Their stories are told painfully real, with a powerful voice; a well-researched and engrossing read.
If you don’t feel for these characters, there’s something… well, do I need to say it? If you want a short novel that will move you to feel and think, pick this up when it hits the shelves of your local independent bookstore in June.

This is a very well-written book, but the problem is that I didn't see the point of it.

The book follows four different people on January 15th, the day they will receive money through universal basic income. All of the characters are beautifully crafted and elegantly written. However, the whole point of the book was to write about the consequences of universal basic income. With how many things people are talking about right now, this is not one of them. It feels bizarre that the writer used her creativity to discuss such a pointless subject. The country hasn't even figured out how to do universal health care. Something that other countries have already figured out. Yet no one is talking about universal basic income, so why add another worry to the dumpster fire that is our world.

Also, as we only follow the characters for one day. Some of the endings didn't give me enough closer and made me want to know what happened the next day.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this short near-future exploration of what it might look like to have a yearly UBI check for people. I found the four different perspectives really interesting, and wanted to know more. Well written, and handled the four pov's well.

Thought this would be more of a good dystopian novel, than a treatise on UBI. I was disappointed in much of it I'm sorry to say, because I REALLY wanted to love this.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think I might've enjoyed this more if I had a stronger opinion about Universal Basic Income, but it was interesting to see how the author turned this question into a novella. The writing was strong and the structure of the novel - spanning one day but spread between disparate characters and settings - was pretty cool. I found some of the storylines more interesting than others, particularly the sisters wives and the woman being stalked. This wasn't a favourite of mine, but I think that is more wrong reader/wrong time than anything.

I thought this was going to be more of a dystopian book but it's really different stories related to the UBI. As such, I didn't feel drawn into the world at all. The writing is good and the concept is interesting but I probably would have enjoyed it more as a novel with a strong setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

January Fifteenth is a speculative, near future science fiction novella that tells stories of four Americans on UBI (Universal Basic Income) Day. The stories vary in location and specifics, but unify in themes of human connection. One teenager walks with her cult to pick up their checks in person and she reflects on her life and her family. One young woman overdoses at a party and struggles to make sense of her surroundings. One woman has to bring her sister along on the job, which complicates her reporting. And another woman flees her abusive ex-wife, who always comes calling on UBI Day. While speculative, the stories all felt close, grounded, and totally believable. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi and anyone who enjoys possible future books.

La premisa de January Fifteenth es que todos los estadounidenses reciben su UBI anual (Universal Basic Income, algo parecido al Ingreso Mínimo Vital) el 15 de enero y explora las consecuencias que esto pueda tener en su vida. Rachel Swirsky tenía en sus manos una idea muy buena para realizar una especulación sociológica de alto nivel, pero a mi entender se ha quedado demasiado en la superficie, dirigiendo su enfoque a los diversos puntos de vista que componen la obra pero sin adentrarse a fondo en ninguno de ellos.


Las cuatro perspectivas femeninas que nos enseña Swirsky son variadas, desde la madre que huyó con sus hijos de su esposa maltratadora a la joven embarazada que se siente atrapada por su comunidad religiosa, pasando por la periodista que tiene que informar sobre la jornada y la niña rica que celebra el día derrochando lo que le ingresa el estado.

Entiendo que el mensaje que quiere hacernos llegar la autora es que con el UBI se abren nuevas posibilidades para escapar de situaciones límites, pero centrándose tanto solo en estos personajes y no en el contexto general se pierde mucho del interés que había despertado la premisa en mí. No negaré que se aumenta la tensión y la empatía, pero como novela corta que es entiendo que había que decidir por un camino u otro y yo hubiera preferido mucho el otro.

Es un libro corto y tiene tintes realistas en el sentido de que sin duda alguna hecha la ley, hecha la trampa y se podría utilizar el UBI como fuente de ingresos para unos modelos de sociedad caducos. No es menos cierto que las constantes referencias a los impuestos que permiten esto resuenan con el estado actual en muchos países, pero en cierto modo queda como una adenda un tanto genérica.

También tiene mérito que en un espacio tan corto haya tenido cabida la representación LGBTQ+, escogiendo bien personas principales o secundarios no heteronormativos.

En definitiva, he de decir que me ha decepcionado un tanto January Fifteenth, pero creo que más por las expectativas que yo tenía puestas en la obra que por el libro en sí.

January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky

I first heard of Rachel Swirsky when reading Camestros Felapton’s Hugosauriad (which was, as he explained, “a dinography of the Hugo Awards — tracing the history of the awards via the medium of dinosaur stories”). That is where I learned of Ms. Swirsky’s short story If You We’re a Dinosaur, My Love, a lyrically beautiful story that touched me deeply. I have always kept my eyes open for more work by her, so I was very excited to see a new novella by her on NetGalley.

January Fifteenth is set in a near- future USA that has enacted a Universal Basic Income. The story examines a slice of life of four women on the titular day when they get their UBI check. We see each of the protagonists throughout the day from morning til night - a woman on the run from her abusive ex wife, a reporter raising her orphaned younger sister, a spoiled rich college kid, and a pregnant fifteen year old FLDS kid. We see many of the good and the bad changes wrought on society by a UBI. This book gave me a lot of food for thought, but the best part is the characters - they all feel very real and well rounded. This book was excellent and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is nominated for a Hugo and/or Nebula next year.

This was a great example of speculative fiction done right. Set in America in the future, the novel explores how a universal income payment may affect people. The story follows four different storylines on the day of the UBI payment. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the different characters, but eventually I could follow all 4 at once. Beautiful and compelling writing.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have come to realize that I like novels/novellas that have mini stories that all center around a common theme/event. I really enjoyed all the stories, but I wish the storylines went deeper into the possible effects the UBI will have.

January Fifteenth is conceptually interesting and narratively compelling, though I do think it could have gone a bit deeper into the political and practical ramifications of the project.

Set in a future America, it looks at what might happen given a universal basic income payment, where everyone, regardless of wealth or status, receives a yearly payment. The novella follows four perspectives on the day of that payment.

- A woman with two kids on the run from her abusive ex-wife
- A young Black reporter caring for her trans teenage sister and conducting interviews about the UBI
- A college freshman and her group of privileged friends who look for wilder ways to waste their payment
- A pregnant teen girl in an abusive polygamist cult

The story follows each character as the day progresses and it's both interesting and riveting. I like the project of this and the way it touches on how something like a UBI could both help and hurt in different ways. Again, I think it could have gone deeper analytically but it's a cool concept and worth reading. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A beautifully realized work of speculative fiction in the truest sense; an excellent novella about a possible future in all its ups and downs: I've been thinking about this one since I finished it, and I'm not sure I'll be stopping anytime soon! 4.5 stars, rounded up.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel Swirsky's "January Fifteenth", which tells the stories of four different people living in a near-future America, chronicling their lives on the day that annual Universal Basic Income payments are dispensed. A woman tries to protect herself and her children from an abusive ex-wife; a college girl attends an all-day party celebrating "Waste Day"; a journalist brings her younger sister (of whom she is the legal guardian) on interviews; a young pregnant woman in a cult makes the walk to collect her annual payment.

I was a little worried, going in, that four stories would be too many to balance in such a short format, but Swirsky handles her characters' development deftly and extremely well, and I didn't feel that any story (or character) was particularly privileged over another. The format of the book (which follows each character in switching chapters based on the time of day) was also excellent, and lent a clear and focused structure to the story.

This felt like speculative fiction in the most integral sense of the word: it speculated about something that could, perhaps, happen. It asked questions rather than gave answers, but it didn't set those questions about plot or character, and remains an excellent piece of fiction in itself, as well.

There were a couple of aspects of the world I'd love to see a little more fleshed out, that felt brushed over in the main text - I need more explanation on the "wristers"! - but that was a relatively small detail that didn't majorly affect my enjoyment of the story. Overall, an excellent read; I'd recommend this highly.

I was after something short and punchy to read for a plane ride earlier this week, and January Fifteenth seemed like a good fit (with the added bonus of getting ahead on my ARCs). It mostly fit the bill as it read very quickly, though it does deal with plenty of tough topics – so some readers may be better off picking up something else for their flight.

January Fifteenth is less a novel and more a series of vignettes about the experiences people might have if a Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme were to be introduced in the near-future United States. Three of the four stories are explicitly about marginalised or under-represented groups: a lesbian Jew who has survived domestic violence; a black woman and her transgender younger sister; a young Mormon girl who has suffered abuse within the church community.

Something I found interesting about Swirsky’s choice of perspectives is that a UBI program isn’t portrayed as a universally good thing for these people. In some cases the implementation of the program is still classist and racist, as certain recipients must jump through hoops to receive their money (similar to voter disenfranchisement in many countries); in other cases characters question whether giving everyone the same amount of money now is sufficient reparation for historical injustices. There is no easy answers to these questions, but Swirsky isn’t necessarily interested in providing them, simply getting the reader to think through some of the potential challenges we would face were we to ever implement such a system.

Swirsky also does an excellent job of creating a near-future America where things are mostly the same but kind of different: technologies have evolved (phones are now ‘wristers’), and the weather is unseasonably bad but not yet apocalyptic. But January Fifteenth also has the occasionally moment of perceptive wit and isn’t afraid to poke preemptive fun at what cultural trends might continue in the years to come, with a few throwaway moments (you’ll know them when you see them) that made me snort.

The vignette format won’t be for everyone, and it does have a few pitfalls; one section tries to do too much by introducing too many minor characters and unfortunately distracting from the key message in the process, and overall I found the ending a little too abrupt. It’s also less political than I expect some readers will want: the text never makes a decisive statement about whether or not introducing a UBI policy is a desirable choice, nor does it explicitly refute pro or anti UBI statements.

But there’s definitely a lot to chew on here, and I’ll be thinking about some of the questions raised for a while, so I highly recommend it on that front.

January Fifteenth got off to a horrible start and it didn't get better. The first several chapters introduced different characters that had nothing to do with each other. They may have tied together later on, but I was bored stiff! I couldn't read anymore. This book does not get my recommendation.

This book uses four very different perspectives to explore what a universal basic income might look like and how it may impact different kinds of people. My thoughts going into this were that it was an interesting concept but might be kind of boring to read. I need not have feared! I was thoroughly engaged by this and loved all the different perspective equally. It was always a treat to go back to an old perspective and see what was going on with them. All of the characters were fascinating and sympathetic.

In terms of reading enjoyment, I loved this. I do feel like it could have gone a little farther politically. A lot was imagined, but I feel that there was a lot left unimagined. Indeed, it is only a novella. It can only do so much. This is definitely just the start of a conversation and not an in depth, super nuanced discussion. As such, it is great.

Sexual violence? There is unwelcome kissing/groping of a drugged/drunk woman at a college party. Other content warnings? Cult, child abuse, domestic violence.