Dystopia
The Sky Inside is another representative of one of the more disturbing trends to emerge in the genre of YA fiction in the 21st century. Prior to the new millennium, dystopia nightmares just didn’t represent a significant part of the world of YA novels. In fact, only a few achieved any sort of significant commercial success and half of those were written by Lois Lowry. This remain the case into the earliest years of the century and the around the middle of the first decade—right around the time of the Patriot Act and mainstream recognition of the full extent of data mining and collection by communications companies—the genre just exploded. Even as early as 2008, the real trick for YA authors was coming up with a brand new slant on dystopia and it was right around then the book's dystopic twist was about to hit the mainstream hard.
Life in a Bubble
The year before the publication of Dunkle’s novel, The Simpsons Movie was released. The year after The Sky Inside was released, Stephen King published Under the Dome. All three of the works share a fundamental plot device: entire populations (of various scope and size) are forced to live trapped inside a domed self-contained bubble. Dunkle’s take on life in the bubble is the only one which transform it into a pure dystopian nightmare though it can safely said that neither the familiar denizens of Springfield nor King’s small town residents are exactly satisfied with their circumstance.
While something was definitely stirring in the air over the concept of a city in a dome around the 2008, it is a science fiction conceit which traces back at least to the 1800’s and served as the setting for the classic 1970’s movie Logan’s Run. In probably every single example—and certainly all the most famous ones—including The Sky Inside, the driving force of the dome, in terms of plot, is an attempt to experience life outside the dome, especially when those inside have been warned against the danger of doing that very thing.
Suburbia
Following a short Prologue, the first line of the novel commencing Chapter One contains a singular description that is deceptive in its apparent lack of significance. In fact, it says way more than can be conveyed without resorting to spoilers: “The first day of spring had come to the suburb, bringing its subtle but unmistakable signs.” Think back and contemplate this question: how many times do you ever come across the use of the word suburb in its singular form? Usually, even when referring to just one particular neighborhood, the reference is always to “the suburbs.” The limitation to the singular is highly unusual and precise and there is a purpose and intent in that choice. Although serious and dramatic in the tradition of dystopian fiction, the novel does contained a humorous undertone: it is actually a rather scathing satire on the idea of the suburbs as the epicenter of conformity and homogeneity in American society.
