A compelling future, a timeless tale: Intrinsic follows a teenager uncovering the truth of who she really is in a dystopia of political intrigue.
Anne Reynes is haunted by her past. At only 17 years old, she’s already spent years in a treatment facility, sent away to cope with flashbacks and nightmares from her past that have triggered fainting spells and seizures. All she can remember from her childhood is her mother being shot before her eyes, and that memory visits her regularly. She’s been kept from technology, news, and an average teenage life, until one day she decides she’s ready to go home.
Aunt Patty, the only relative Anne remembers, has been Anne’s guardian ever since her mother’s tragic death. While they may have a terse relationship, Aunt Patty has always been reliable, reminding Anne of who she is and watching out for her.
While Anne is provided a lavish mansion, and welcomed into the family with open arms, she’s still a stranger to this life she doesn’t recall. And her troubles still follow her in Groves Island, as she continues having flashbacks and a new shadowy figure that seems to be stalking her.
As Anne struggles to adapt to her refreshed life, she stumbles into a mentorship with the President of Groves Island, who Aunt Patty works for. He is interested in working with young people to prime them for a future working in the government, and he feels drawn to Anne when she’s in the crowd with her aunt at one of his events.
When Anne joins the school paper, the uncertain world around her begins to crack. The 10-year anniversary of the assassination of Groves Island’s dictatorial president is coming up, a pivotal moment of history on their island, and the school paper wants to do a piece on it. For the first time in her life, Anne is completely exposed to the local history, and when a visit to the assassination site triggers hers, questions begin swirling in her head. How does this political past relate to her? Why can’t she remember her childhood? Who is she really?
“…a strong sense of déjà vu had overcome me. I looked at my surroundings, and it was immediately clear to me that I had been there before. It was ten years ago, but the event felt as fresh as ever.”
Intrinsic follows Anne as she navigates uncovering her past and grappling with the harsh truth: “–how do you trust people who are supposed to protect you, when they were the first to hide the truth?”
Intrinsic draws you in right away. Told from the perspective of elderly Anne recalling her past, we’re given tidbits of information that pique interest, such as opening with the remark that her name isn’t Lila, it’s Anne. The mysteries of Anne’s life only get more curious from there. As more of her personal life is revealed, so are the political intricacies of Groves Island. With the island’s dictatorial past, experience with martial law, alongside Anne’s curious stalker, and strange, lifelong symptoms, there’s a lot to be uncovered. I have no doubt the gradual unveiling of information about Anne and her world will keep you flipping pages.
At times, it can be hard to follow— not in the grander plot per-se but rather in the way it jumps swiftly from one scene to the next. Some of the lack of transitions can be jarring, but it ultimately doesn’t have a big impact on following the story as a whole.
Intrinsic is a tale as old as time—an exploration of identity—but it’s tackled in such a distinct world from a fresh perspective that it feels completely new. It’s easy to immerse yourself in Anne’s mystery as she begins to question the world around her, takes her past from the hands of others, and carries herself into a future of her own design.
What did you think?