January Fifteenth
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- Create Date：2022-05-22 07:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rachel Swirsky
- ISBN：1250198941
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Summary
“One of the best speculative writers of the last decade。”—John Scalzi
January Fifteenth—the day all Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment。
For Hannah， a middle-aged mother， today is the anniversary of the day she took her two children and fled her abusive ex-wife。
For Janelle， a young， broke journalist， today is another mind-numbing day interviewing passersby about the very policy she once opposed。
For Olivia， a wealthy college freshman， today is “Waste Day”， when rich kids across the country compete to see who can most obscenely squander the government’s money。
For Sarah， a pregnant teen， today is the day she’ll journey alongside her sister-wives to pick up the payments that undergird their community—and perhaps embark on a new journey altogether。
In this near-future science fiction novella by Nebula Award-winning author Rachel Swirsky， the fifteenth of January is another day of the status quo， and another chance at making lasting change。
January Fifteenth—the day all Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment。
For Hannah， a middle-aged mother， today is the anniversary of the day she took her two children and fled her abusive ex-wife。
For Janelle， a young， broke journalist， today is another mind-numbing day interviewing passersby about the very policy she once opposed。
For Olivia， a wealthy college freshman， today is “Waste Day”， when rich kids across the country compete to see who can most obscenely squander the government’s money。
For Sarah， a pregnant teen， today is the day she’ll journey alongside her sister-wives to pick up the payments that undergird their community—and perhaps embark on a new journey altogether。
In this near-future science fiction novella by Nebula Award-winning author Rachel Swirsky， the fifteenth of January is another day of the status quo， and another chance at making lasting change。
Reviews
Megan Bell
，
This near-future novella follows four women in very different circumstances through one day—January 15th， the day Universal Basic Income payments are dispersed。 A quick read and a really interesting way of engaging with political， social， and economic proposals like UBI—I’d love to read more books like this！
Michelle
，
Good， but I wanted more time with the characters， I wanted to see more of how this played out in the world。
TimetoFangirl
，
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 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。 。。。more
Kate
，
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 h 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。 。。。more
Harrison Schweiloch
，
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 NetG 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。 。。。more
Lani
，
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。
Bethany
，
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 rep 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 cultThe 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。 。。。more
Alexandra
，
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 dispens 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。 。。。more
Kahlia
，
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 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 occasional moment of perceptive wit and isn’t afraid to poke pre-emptive 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 always explicitly refute either pro or anti UBI statements made by various characters within the text。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。 。。。more
Margaret
，
I really thought I would love this one， but I came away feeling meh about it。 The premise is it takes place in a future where the United States has a universal basic income。 Each chapter revolves around four women's lives， and how the universal income affects them。 I do love the premise， but I never felt like the chapters delved that deeply into the character's personalities and society， even though that's what each chapter was about。 I never felt fully immersed。 And for 4 character povs， 200 pa I really thought I would love this one， but I came away feeling meh about it。 The premise is it takes place in a future where the United States has a universal basic income。 Each chapter revolves around four women's lives， and how the universal income affects them。 I do love the premise， but I never felt like the chapters delved that deeply into the character's personalities and society， even though that's what each chapter was about。 I never felt fully immersed。 And for 4 character povs， 200 pages just isn't a whole lot of space for them to shine。Editing to add the LGBTQ+ rep。 One of the 4 characters is a lesbian， and another's sister is a trans woman。 。。。more
Kristenelle
，
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 perspectives 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 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 perspectives 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。 。。。more
bookscheapestvacation
，
I enjoyed this science fiction book that explores how different people handle a lump sum payment from the government。 No two people handle the universal payment the same。 This book really made me think！ However， I feel the author did not go into enough depth about what took place before the Universal Payments came into effect。 I hope the author continues writing about these characters with more info。 This book was unique and I would definitely buy a second or third book in this series！
Heather Jones
，
If the United States actually had Universal Basic Income， what would that be like in the lives of actual humans？ What problems would it solve？ What problems would it cause？ What would the consequences be？ Swirsky explores the question by bringing it to life through several different characters。 My favorites were the woman fleeing an abusive spouse who comes for her every year on the day the checks are distributed， and the woman in a cult on her way to pick up a check and turn it over to the cult If the United States actually had Universal Basic Income， what would that be like in the lives of actual humans？ What problems would it solve？ What problems would it cause？ What would the consequences be？ Swirsky explores the question by bringing it to life through several different characters。 My favorites were the woman fleeing an abusive spouse who comes for her every year on the day the checks are distributed， and the woman in a cult on her way to pick up a check and turn it over to the cult's leaders， but all of the threads were well worth reading， for people who are interested in UBI and people who just like good， character-driven science fiction。 。。。more
Venneh
，
This is Swirsky’s first novella， I believe， and it’s a look at four women’s lives on the day of UBI （universal basic income） dispersement。 Swirsky has written about this academically， but it’s neat to see her turn her storytelling to a speculative future based on a thing she’s studied extensively。 Each story manages to wrap up over the space of the six sub sections， and each had fairly well done characters and good individual plots。 None of the stories ends with their lives being magically fixed This is Swirsky’s first novella， I believe， and it’s a look at four women’s lives on the day of UBI （universal basic income） dispersement。 Swirsky has written about this academically， but it’s neat to see her turn her storytelling to a speculative future based on a thing she’s studied extensively。 Each story manages to wrap up over the space of the six sub sections， and each had fairly well done characters and good individual plots。 None of the stories ends with their lives being magically fixed because of UBI， but you can see the effects of it in their lives， whether it’s allowing for abused spouses to flee， or making it easier to take care of relatives。 I will warn for domestic abuse and suicide in front of a crowd。 Definitely worth a read when it comes out。 。。。more
Chad Cunningham
，
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review。 I kinda wish that Goodreads let us do half stars。 This was a solid 3。5 star read。 January Fifteenth is a novella set in the near future where everyone in the US receives an annual Universal Basic Income disbursement on January 15th every year。 The impacts of the UBI are explored through the stories of four people: a journalist raising her teenage daughter， a woman hiding herself and her kids from her violent ex-wife， a wealt I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review。 I kinda wish that Goodreads let us do half stars。 This was a solid 3。5 star read。 January Fifteenth is a novella set in the near future where everyone in the US receives an annual Universal Basic Income disbursement on January 15th every year。 The impacts of the UBI are explored through the stories of four people: a journalist raising her teenage daughter， a woman hiding herself and her kids from her violent ex-wife， a wealthy college student attending a party where the rich find ways to waste the money they don't need， and a pregnant teenage cult wife walking with her sister wives to get her UBI。The author explores various points of view and does a good job of creating a somewhat realistic picture of how the UBI would impact culture。 By focusing on the events of a single day， the stories are compressed and do not really resolve。 Which I liked。 Overall I enjoyed reading this， but the novella length left me wanting a little more。 I would also have liked to see some more discussion about the different views of the UBI。 Still， it was a good piece of writing。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=January Fifteenth
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=January Fifteenth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,January Fifteenth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0