Jennifer Government
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| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Satire, Speculative Fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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21 January 2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) and e-book |
| Pages | 336 pp |
| ISBN | (hardcover) |
| OCLC | 49285531 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3552.A7424 J46 2003 |
| Preceded by | Syrup |
| Followed by | Company |
Jennifer Government is a novel written by Max Barry. Published in 2003, it is Barry's second novel, following 1999's Syrup. The novel is set in a dystopian alternate reality in which most nations (now controlled by the United States) are dominated by for-profit corporate entities while the government's political power is extremely limited. Some readers consider it similar in satiric intent to George Orwell's 1984, but of a world with too much corporate power as opposed to too much political power. Many readers see it as a criticism of globalization, although Barry claims he is not an anti-globalist. He has created a game based on the novel: Jennifer Government: NationStates.
The novel was titled Logoland for the German and Italian editions. The Brazilian edition was titled EU S/A, translated as Me, Inc., but can be seen as an abbreviation of Estados Unidos Sociedade Anônima, which roughly translates to United States, Inc. in English.
The story takes place over several years (exactly when is never specified). The United States has taken over the entire American continent (except for Cuba), South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, India, Japan, Oceania, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia,, and (most recently) Australia and New Zealand. Russia is said to be affiliated with the US, but not fully absorbed; whether or not Russia actually belongs to the United States is not explained. With so much land in a single market, international trade has become unnecessary, and thus the United States cuts itself off from countries that it has not yet taken over. Other countries include the European Union, which is labeled "socialist", though to what extent is debatable. The official language of all United States holdings is now "American", formerly known as American English. British English and its associated accents no longer exist.
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