The Damage Done, by Michael Landweber

Here is a novel with a very interesting premise: what if it were suddenly impossible,

the world over, to commit physical violence against another person? For instance,

bullets from guns just hang in the air, bombs might damage property, but do no one

, and people are unable to strike others. 

What would people do?  We know enough about human behavior, especially through social media, to expect that some folks would start performing some dangerous experiments. Those who are filled with hate would surely try to find other ways to affect pain and hardship on others. 

In The Damage Done, author Michael Landweber presents this interesting premise, along with well drawn characters I found to be either likable or intriguing. This is well-written,  with good pacing, and I enjoyed it. 

My one reservation about this slim novel is that it just skims the surface of its topic. This may be as intended, however, since this does create food for thought. Would there be a period of chaos, in some places, where laws and their enforcement would have to be reinvented? Would we need as many laws, or different laws?  At first, it seems that there would be more peace in the world, but would there really be less oppression? 

I enjoyed the writing and the premise of this short speculative novel, and would welcome an expansion or continuation of this topic, in the future.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this intriguing experience!

(goodreads 3.5 rating)