Friday 1 August 2008

Near Future Novel

Finished August 1
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
This teen novel is set in the mid-twenty-second century, in a world where they've managed to control disease and stop aging. Over-population has meant that people are not allowed to have children unless the Opt Out of the anti-aging drugs, but of course some people are involved in a movement against this and therefore institutions have been created to deal with the illegal children (Surplus) that are found.
In these institutions, children are indoctrinated to believe that the parents who created them are evil, and that there lives must be spent atoning for their parents sin.
Anna lives in a surplus institution and is almost finished her training to be useful. When a new child arrives, almost her age, he tries to change her outlook and save her from her fate.
This tale covers a lot of interesting ethical issues and would be an interesting choice for a book club. The teen characters are interesting, with Anna having some depth to her.

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