I first posted this review back in May for those experiencing deja vu. Jane Rogers is a tremendous novelist, never afraid to confront issues. She's also an inspirational teacher. In Jessie Lamb’s world there are no Thought Police or Republic of Gilead. Her comfortable suburb of Manchester is entirely recognisable. Jane Rogers' eighth novel makes a point of co-opting the ordinary, the everyday world of scrambled eggs, mum and dad’s arguments, college relationships and teenage loyalties. However, in Jessie’s world – a few months into the future – women have been infected by a virus known as maternal death syndrome (MDS). Once MDS is contracted, any woman who becomes pregnant develops a fatal form of CJD, dying within days. The human race must confront its demise. The novel has echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale and Children Of Men , but it is the 360-degree realisation of 21st century community in the process of fracture, told in the voice of an assured, intelligent 16 year
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