So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It was definitely more good than bad, and I am glad that I read it, but there were a few things that left me wanting a bit more. Let's break it down!
The Things I Loved:
- ► The whole concept was intriguing, and not all that farfetched. I mean look, we're going to be in a situation of overpopulation, it's just the facts. And we've all heard the current news out of China, making this a timely topic. Women basically being granted the ability to have children is terrifying- both for those who are expected to bear children, and for those who aren't allowed to.
- ►Calla's journey was intense and changed her so much as a person. To go from imagining your whole life as one thing (career, friends, having fun) to a completely different one (deciding to remove her birth control, conceive and bear a child, all while on the lam) is quite a transformation in itself. But the things she learns along the way and the people she meets on her journey change her more than she ever imagined possible.
- ►Speaking of the journey, it was pretty great! I love when a character has to go on the run, to survive no matter what obstacles lie in their path. This was that type of excursion for sure, but with the added pressure of a baby's welfare in the mix.
- ►I also really enjoyed the relationships that Calla formed along the way. The people she met added quite a lot to the story, which had a tendency to be solitary, considering Calla's circumstances.
What I Didn't:
- ►The world-building was lacking. When is this? Where is this? Why is this? No idea on any fronts. I suppose that could have been intentional, in the "it could happen anywhere" way, but I am too curious for that to appeal to me.
- ►I couldn't wrap my head around Calla's motivations. In the beginning of the book, Calla was into bar hopping and hooking up, and basically a lot of her own endeavors. That's totally fine, but I couldn't comprehend why she'd suddenly decide to give her whole life up to raise a child- one she'd never particularly wanted. It seemed very... on a whim, and that doesn't seem like the best reason to have a child under any circumstances, let alone a situation where both her life and the child's were now in danger. The father also had no idea it was possible for him to be a father, which seemed rather unfair of Calla. Then she's mad that he's not exactly tickled about being lied to and manipulated which... what now?
- ►Calla is kind of just unlikable. I mean, even after she removes her birth control, and gets pregnant knowing she's now in deep shit, she continues her reckless behavior. That bothered me extra, because if you're going to bring a child into the world, maybe don't set it up for failure by drinking and such? Like why go to all this trouble of skirting the law and running away just to not take care of your kid? So much of what she did was extremely selfish, and while that is how society set her up to be, she didn't have to continue it. Maybe if we knew more about her as a character she'd have been easier to connect to.
Bottom Line: Definitely a compelling premise and an interesting story, but could have been made better by more developed characters and world.