This book was sent to review as part of a bundle of holiday reading for teens/ pre-teens. Big started it, but found it a bit above her head – she is only 11 though. So I read it instead, and found it to be a perfectly enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
The style of writing *is* a little confusing. It’s written in the first person, but the first person keeps changing as the narrators are identical twins, brought up separately and having lead very different lives. The whole novel is set in a future after a virus has caused ppl over the age of around 18 to become infertile, so the plot is that older couples are now paying teenagers to have babies for them. Echoes of the Handmaid’s Tale, though not nearly as depressing as that. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who finds Handmaid’s Tale utterly depressing? Tbh, I absolutely hate it. And I’m fond of dystopian tales generally speaking.) So there are lots of issues up for consideration – teenage sex and pregnancy, surrogacy, religion, privacy, childhood. It’s a challenging array, although the story romps along well enough that the issues don’t crash around your ears. Some of the futuristic language grated on me a little – perhaps I’m out of practice with scifi, I don’t seem to have read that much in the genre recently. Another oversight, it used to be my favourite. Along with fantasy.
Anyway, I think I’d suggest this for a teen of 13-14, and preferably a reasonably mature one at that. It may well be something that you feel you’d like to pre-read so that you’re ready for discussion of the issues – there isn’t much graphic stuff in it though to worry anyone. Very much depends on you/ your daughter’s sensibilities. (I say daughter as I don’t see this appealing to teenage boys particularly, it’s written from a very clear female viewpoint.
This is certainly an author I will be keeping an eye on though – a thought provoking book all around.
This is book 84.
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