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From the back cover:
A cataclysmic climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory abortion of ‘excess’ pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm, and families must adhere to strict consumption quotas as the world descends into chaos.
Kai is a 25-year-old `baby reaper´, working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned families attempt to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price.
Until, one morning, she discovers that an illegal sibling on her Ministry hit-list is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else finds out.
Kai’s hunt for her forbidden sister unearths much more than a dark family secret. As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a catastrophic discovery that could bring down the government … and tear her family apart.
My thoughts:
I’ve been hooked on Eve Smith’s speculative novels since The Waiting Rooms, with each one exploring a frighteningly realistic premise – firstly complete antibiotic resistance, secondly genetic engineering, and now population control via a one-child law.
The world of One is so well drawn, it didn’t take much imagination to picture it outside my front door right now. The portrayal of what homes, buildings, transportation, food, and general everyday life will look like if current consumption and pollution patterns continue was deftly done – not so different to today’s world that it’s not plausible, with just enough dusting of drama to make it really intriguing.
I was really invested in the plot, and the pacing was spot on. I didn’t feel massively attached to any of the characters, but then this is not a character-focused novel – its bite point is the wide-reaching issues it tackles which could affect every one of us.
This book was better than Off Target but didn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of Smith’s debut. I’m not sure any further books from this author ever will, just because that one was so fresh and original. That said, One is an emotive, gripping, clever, important, and frightening story. (I mean it could be classified as non-fiction in China, right?!).
I challenge you to read this and not feel slightly better about the current political parties fighting for control in the UK… Hopefully they don’t have anything like this up their sleeves…
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