Bio-chemistry whiz Everly Jax wants one thing: to know who her parents are. Raised with other repo kids in InKubator 9, she has pinned her hopes on Reunion Day, the annual event where sixteen-year-olds can meet or reunite with their parents. When her Reunion Day goes horribly awry, she and her pregnant friend Halla escape the Kube, accompanied by their friend Wyck who has his own reasons for leaving.
In a world where rebuilding the population is critical to national survival, the Pragmatist government licenses all human reproduction, and decides who can--and must--have babies. The trio face feral dog packs, swamp threats, locust swarms, bounty hunters looking for "breeders," and more dangers as they race to Amerada's capital to find Halla's soldier boyfriend before the Prags can repo her baby and force the girls into surrogacy service.
An unexpected encounter with Bulrush, an Underground Railroad for women fleeing to Outposts with their unlicensed babies, puts them in greater peril than ever. Everly must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to learn her biological identity--and deal with the unanticipated consequences of her decisions.
Page Length: 302
Everly Jax has, like all the other children, been waiting for one thing all her life – Reunion Day, when the sixteen-year-olds can meet their parents, for what may be the first time. They have spent their lives in Kube 9, learning what they need to succeed in society, but working on solving the crisis of the locusts determined on eating what little food they have isn’t enough for Everly. She is desperate to know who her parents are, who she is.
Reunion Day comes and goes, and Everly’s questions remain unanswered when the worst thing she could’ve thought of happens. Instead of sticking around, she finds herself following her friends, Wyck and Halla. Halla is pregnant, to a boyfriend who is away with military training, and while an unlicensed baby is one thing, Halla is determined to keep the child, which is simply impossible. So, together, the three run.
While they spent their lives being taught everything they need for life in society, the three quickly realise they are woefully unprepared for the outside world. From bandits who would steal their only mode of transportation, to bounty hunters who would sell Halla and Everly as ‘breeders’, forcing them into a life of birthing baby after baby for the good of Amerada, they have a difficult time staying alive, let alone safe. Wyck and Everly take on the role of protecting Halla, of trying to keep her safe as they journey, but it is a task they have trouble doing. Neither of them know how to survive in the outside world. They struggle to find clean water and food, and whenever they seem well off with their supplies, some tragedy will strike and leave them even worse off than before.
Everly is a very interesting character to narrate this story. While she runs with her friends, she is always sympathetic towards Amerada’s cause and turns a blind eye to things others might immediately see as wrong. She has been brought up to want to help better the world, and even after leaving society, she still wants to do her part and wants others to do their part. The way she thinks of some things is almost like she is quoting things she has been told before, such as how surrogates are helping save Amerada. Even when she comes across proof that what she knows may not be right, or even humanitarian, it takes a lot to shock her into realising the reality of the world.
While a lot of this book is focused on the paths taken by Everly, Halla, and Wyck, there is also a lot of focus on the reproductive ways of this futuristic society. A flu destroyed the world, spreading around and killing millions. In attempts to stop the spread, countries shut their borders, destroyed bridges and highways, so the people who were already in would stay in, and everyone else would stay out. With such a blow to the world’s population, repopulating the world seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and babies are one of the most precious things there can be. But, a couple can rarely have their own child. They must apply for a licence, and get approved. In reality, most of the children come from surrogates, babies who are taken and passed into families who will raise them to be an integral part of society. Genetic selection ensures the babies will grow to be scientists, smart enough to help fix the world. There is a very sterile view on family, and love seems to be in short supply. Halla loving the child growing within her is something Everly has trouble understanding because it isn’t common. People don’t love their own children, because parents do not raise their own children.
There is an organisation, Bulrush, which I will not talk about too much so I don’t spoil anything. Bulrush is focused on helping women get to Outposts safely, women who have unlicensed babies, children who they would not have any right to without new identities and help getting to safety. With so much happening to them, it can be difficult to know who Everly and her friends should trust, but this organisation, one working to secure the bond between mother and child, is one that I immediately knew was trustworthy. Rebels, not working for their own good, but for the good of others. One might even call them under-cover vigilantes.
This is not a book without tough topics, with the whole ideology in this society about babies, and the way they should be brought into the world and raised, but it also is not too heavy. There are definitely parts, especially nearer the end, when the book darkens, but it is mainly about the three friends trying to get to safety. A journey they must take, but also one that helps them learn who they really are. It has a recommended reading age of 13-18 – I would definitely say it is more of a 16 onwards kind of book, I think there are themes in it that are not at all suitable for a 13 year old, but for that slightly older audience, it is a great book.
Laura DiSilverio is the national best-selling author of 21 (and counting) novels, including Close Call (one of the Top 5 mysteries of 2016, according to Library Journal),The Reckoning Stones (2016's Colorado Book Award winner for best mystery), and the Readaholics Book Club series. She spent 20 years as an Air Force intelligence officer before retiring to write and parent full-time. Her teen daughters coaxed her into writing a young adult novel, and the result is the dystopian Incubation Trilogy (because three is better than one, right?). She is a past President of Sisters in Crime and a frequent keynote speaker and teacher at writers conferences and events. She plots murder and parents teens in Colorado, trying to keep the two tasks separate.
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