Many thanks to @orendabooks @annecater and especially to @evecsmith for creating this wonderful yet chilling tale.
A nation compelled to follow a totalitarian regime's ridiculous "one child" rule! Eve Smith has produced a terrifyingly plausible tale. The world we live in today and the one the author describes have unsettling similarities. Just a few examples include global warming, stopping illegal immigration, and authoritarian regimes. In Eve Smith's world, a catastrophic climate emergency has been caused by wildfires, starvation, and floods. This leads to an unsettling premise.
UK has a strict one-child policy. Where families must abide by stringent consumption quotas as the globe devolves into anarchy, where forced termination of "excess" pregnancies and contraceptive implants are now the norm. Kai, a 25-year-old "baby reaper," fervently adheres to and carries out the Ministry's policy. Until she discovers a string of horrible acts committed by those she most trusted. Crimes that might topple the government and split her family. Shocking revelations come to light as Kai digs deeper, leading her to doubt both the government she works for and her own life. Senka's childhood tale in particular was really painful.
There are good people who go out of their way to aid and care for others, even if it means going against the law and risking their safety. Even devoted, conscientious Kai tries to get her parents out of trouble after learning that they have broken the law.
A highly recommend read which deserves more than 5 stars!!
About the Author
Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. Longlisted
for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in
crime fiction’, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic
resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was a Book
of the Month in the Guardian, who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s. It was
followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine.
Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia,
Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science
and far-flung places. She lives in Oxfordshire with her family.
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