Brutal castes, oppressive systems and fortune-telling hadedas – Edyth Bulbring’s The Reject is a story about surviving against all odds

I first heard about Edyth Bulbring’s dystopian gem, The Mark, about a year after it was published. I was immediately intrigued, but it would only be years later that I’d finally pick it up. I can’t even begin to imagine why it took me so long to read The Mark – it’s brutal, brilliant and everything I love about dystopian fiction. 

The Mark tells the story of Juliet, a 15-year old teen who finds herself in a post-apocalyptic world where a machine controls your destiny based on a set of numbers on your spine.  Juliet, or Ettie, as we come to know her, has been assigned to be a drudge.

Forced to serve the elite (who control the machine that enforces these roles, and thereby, the rigid castes divided by wealth and social status), Ettie bides her time.  

Desperately trying to find a way to get rid of her mark, she uses any means necessary to scam, steal and push her way out of a system that has been designed to crush her from the start.

The Mark is a brutal, no-holds-barred novel that paints a vivid portrayal of oppressive systems and corruption. Juliet is no shrinking violet. She’s rude, selfish and doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of something or someone to further her own ends. 

She’s also loyal to those she considers friends (although she’d probably rather die than admit she has any) and comes through for those when it really matters. 

She’s my kind of heroine. Unapologetically fierce and ruthless, Ettie understands that in a world that treats her kind like gum under their boots, there’s no room for giving an inch.

And in the Reject, it’s no different (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED).

Now on the run, with Reader, the blind older man who taught Ettie to read, and Gollum, a Reject (someone the machine considers unfit for any role), they soon find themselves in territory that’s far more terrifying than the chaos they left behind.

In today’s post, Edyth Bulbring, author of The Mark and Reject (and several other fantastic books by the way), has kindly agreed to answer some questions relating to The Reject and all things writing! 

Thanks so much for stopping by Edyth!

What makes Juliet stand out as a character is that she wholly rejects the nice girl persona – something I’m an absolute fan of. She’s cunning, ruthless, and doesn’t hesitate to use people to further her own ends. Yet, we find ourselves rooting for her anyway.  

What do you think makes her a character we can empathise with, in spite of the fact that she has traits many would consider “unpalatable?” 

Juliet is solitary and independent. As well as strong and caring. She wears masks, and is very secretive, holding herself at a distance from us, the readers, as well as from all the characters in the book. However, when she does give us a glimpse of what she is feeling, we experience it as a gift and ache to know her more fully. 

We sense from the brief glimpses she allows us that she loves fiercely, is loyal and has some kind of moral code. However, she stands apart from the rest of the pack and walks her own road. 

This makes her vulnerable and instils in us the desire to protect her. She is the kind of person we would like to have as a friend. And we wish that she would choose us. It would make us feel extraordinary.

The world Juliet and company inhabit sometimes feels unrelentingly grim. And yet, the bleaker their situation became, the harder they fought to claw their way out. 

What do you think it is about survival stories that give us so much hope?

Perhaps it is because we also face daunting challenges. Whether it is climate change, spiralling crime, or a failed education system that robs children of a future. 

When we see people like Juliet with so little power overcoming terrible situations and emerging triumphant, it allows us to believe that we too can defeat the greedy scum that are destroying our world.

The Mark and The Reject are not just about survival and fighting against oppressive systems, but it also provides incredibly astute commentary on governmental structures and how prone to corruption so many of them are. 

Was this a theme that you set out to explore from the start and how much of this reflects your own views?

I don’t set out to explore themes, I write to tell a story. Although in the process of writing themes emerge – and tend to be identified by reviewers and teachers! However, my criticism of power structures in Juliet’s world certainly reflects my views on government and big business.

The Reject introduces us to another place beyond Mangeria; a place we come to know as Sanctuary. Where did the idea for Sanctuary come from? 

I was researching end of world scenarios. And I came across some articles about a bunch of super rich people who had bought property in New Zealand which they figured was the safest place in the world if bad things happened. 

They were building a luxury bunker with golf courses and swimming pools and every luxury you can imagine. And until doomsday came, these crazy rich people were using their bunker as a kind of holiday destination. I think that’s where the idea came from.

Ettie’s thoughts “As in Mangeria, some Sancturians have too much, others too little… Why did I think it would be any different across the sea?”  also reflects what’s happening on a global level. 

Is it fair to assume that your books were influenced by some of the events we see happening right now – not just in South Africa, but say, America for example in that every place has its share of problems? 

Certainly, Juliet’s world is a harsh place, bearing the consequences of crimes selfishly inflicted on the world by our leaders of today. 

In the past and in some parts of the world today the wealthy use brutal security systems to protect privilege. In other places the wealthy rig the rules in their favour. The end result is the same. Disparities in wealth increase and we continue to mess up our environment.

Gollum and Reader are two characters I adore – we were introduced to Reader in The Mark, but Gollum is a character we only meet in The Reject.  

Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind these characters?

I haven’t a clue where they came from. Gollum is certainly a young man of few redeeming qualities. Apart from gross personal habits, he has also done some terrible things to survive. He is a Reject, considered by The Machine to have no value. 

And yet, along comes Reader, who recognises a glimmer of goodness in Gollum and affirms him, in a sense giving Gollum back his humanity. As people keep on affirming Gollum he changes and develops the capacity for love, loyalty and self-sacrifice. I think Reader plays a critical role in Gollum (and Juliet’s) lives.

Your books blend dystopian sci-fi with a bit of magic realism. We see that with the incorporation of the muti nags and hadedas that are gifted with forecasting the future. 

Why hadedas specifically? And where did the idea for the muti nags originate from?

I have always wondered what sort of creatures would survive an Apocalypse. For me, they would be the most disgusting: the fleas, the lice, the cockroaches, the flies and rats. 

But I love birds, and I wanted one to survive. I have always admired the Hadeda, the Sacred Ibis. 

It looks like it lived with dinosaurs and survived extinction. It also looks like the kind of bird that would survive any future Apocalypse. In terms of the muti nags, there is a road in Johannesburg near Diagonal Street where you can buy all sorts of traditional medicines (muti). I used to wander past these shops and was fascinated by what I saw.

You’ve written across many genres and for different audiences. What do you love most about writing YA fiction? 

I am not really conscious of setting out to write YA fiction. I just set out to tell the story I want to tell. The whole genre concept didn’t exist fifty years ago and tags like YA are given to books by booksellers. 

I consider the best sort of book to be the one that tells a story everyone enjoys and can relate to. This is the kind of story I love writing.

Are you currently working on anything at the moment? Can you perhaps share a snippet of what you’re working on?

I am taking a break from writing but my latest book, The Choice Between Us came out in May this year. It is a book about two girls living in Johannesburg, fifty years apart. 

It is set in 1963 when Nelson Mandela was on trial for his life and in contemporary Johannesburg. The girls commit acts of betrayal that have tragic consequences for the people they love.

Finally, can we expect to see more books set in the world of The Mark and The Reject?

I actually never thought I would write The Reject. But then I kept on getting emails from readers of The Mark. One told me that he could not sleep at night wondering what happened next. 

And a teacher told me that a boy in her class burst into tears at the end of The Mark. 

I couldn’t bear the thought of all these insomniac weeping readers, so I buckled down and wrote The Reject. Since then, I have thought about a third in the series, but I will wait to see if I get any emails before I write it.

You can purchase a copy of The Mark and The Reject from Raru.co.za

Edyth’s latest book,  The Choice Between Us is also out now.