Monochrome

16-year-old Grace awakes one morning to find the sky leaden, the sun a huge ball of ash, the clouds like threatening rubble, and reports of unexplained accidents occurring on roads and rail. These are the hallmarks of an apocalyptic movie, but it quickly becomes apparent that everything, to the rest of her family, seems normal; Grace is one of only a handful of people in the country who are seeing the world in shades of grey.

Soon, however, the whole of society is in the grip of the Monochrome Effect, or 'greyout', which eliminates the ability of humans and animals to see colour. The greyout moves from person to person, but it isn't a transmissible disease: the effect on the optic nerve can be traced from microplastics in the ocean, the result of unchecked pollution, now in all water systems.

When Grace starts to experience intermittent 'colour episodes', she is asked to join a government-run study with other teens who have seen flashes of colour since the Monochrome Effect began. She is told that she will be helping find a cure; be part of something that could save the world. But the reality is much more sinister, complex and dangerous than she could ever have imagined - colour vision is now currency, and to those in power, worth the ultimate price...

“a page turning, thrilling mix of the personal with the political ... Monochrome is very well written ; involving, exciting and convincing”

A captivating, complex plot, a fascinating teen protagonist and a way to see the world through different eyes... literally! Mark Ballabon, environmentalist and author of Home
A compelling dystopian tale set in a chillingly realistic future Katherine Webber, YA Prize-shortlisted author of Wing Jones and Only Love Can Break Your Heart
I really enjoyed [Monochrome] ... A terrifying concept - perhaps partly because it seems so believable - great characters and a fantastic heroine -- ELLY GRIFFITHS, author of the Justice Jones series
Fascinating Literary Review
This thought-provoking 14+ eco-thriller, set in an all-too-convincing near future, examines the catastrophic impact of under-regulated capitalism on both planet and people Guardian, Best books for children and teenagers 2022
a page turning, thrilling mix of the personal with the political ... Monochrome is very well written; involving, exciting and convincing Chris Vick, author of Girl. Boy. Sea and The Last Whale

Jamie Costello lives in London. Under her own name, Laura Wilson, she is the author of six educational books on historical subjects for eight-to-twelve-year-olds, and thirteen critically acclaimed psychological thrillers, including the DI Stratton series. Her books have been shortlisted for many awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, and she has won both the CWA Historical Mystery Award and the French Prix du Polar Europeen. She was the Programming Chair for the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in 2009, and co-programmes the Killer Women Crime Writing Festival. She is also the Guardian's crime fiction reviewer.

16-year-old Grace awakes one morning to find the sky leaden, the sun a huge ball of ash, the clouds like threatening rubble, and reports of unexplained accidents occurring on roads and rail. These are the hallmarks of an apocalyptic movie, but it quickly becomes apparent that everything, to the rest of her family, seems normal; Grace is one of only a handful of people in the country who are seeing the world in shades of grey. Soon, however, the whole of society is in the grip of the Monochrome Effect, or 'greyout', which eliminates the ability of humans and animals to see colour. The greyout moves from person to person, but it isn't a transmissible disease: the effect on the optic nerve can be traced from microplastics in the ocean, the result of unchecked pollution, now in all water systems. When Grace starts to experience intermittent 'colour episodes', she is asked to join a government-run study with other teens who have seen flashes of colour since the Monochrome Effect began. She is told that she will be helping find a cure; be part of something that could save the world. But the reality is much more sinister, complex and dangerous than she could ever have imagined - colour vision is now currency, and to those in power, worth the ultimate price...

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