Having seen and enjoyed the 2006 film, when I stumbled across this in a second hand bookshop I was a little surprised that the original novel was penned by P.D. James. I’d previously only associated her with the crime genre so was intrigued to read her take on dystopia.
I wasn’t disappointed, it’s a terrific read. A thriller that doesn’t seem to be a thriller due to the depth of the writing. It’s a really unnerving novel, and creates a chilling atmosphere in a world based on one simple premise… women stop giving birth. Nobody knows why, but across the entire planet, suddenly there are no new babies.
From this concept, the novel roles forward 25 years to a world where everybody is aging, and the increasingly authoritarian government has to figure out how to keep the lights on, how to maintain order, how to feed people… but without a young workforce to do the heavy lifting.
The angles taken and the inner dialogue of the main character really made me think a little deeper about the world. It touches on society, authoritarianism, religion, relationships, grief. And yet the plot moves along at pace; I’d describe it as classy page-turner.
I’d very much recommend you try it, while I’ll be searching for more P.D. James to read.
