Monday, August 22, 2011

Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy; bk. 1) / Lauren DeStefano / 358 p.

After modern science turns every human into a genetic time bomb with men dying at age twenty-five and women dying at age twenty, girls are kidnapped and married off in order to repopulate the world.

The storyline is a lot like "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, but less literary and not as deep with the social commentary.  It is still a good read, with three very different female characters whose actions and reactions to their situation remind me of people I know in my life.  There is also romance in the story, but only time (and the other two volumes) will tell where it will lead.  Teens will enjoy this book and will give them a few social topics to think about (ie Genetic engineering, Male / Female roles, misogyny, polygamy, social structures, classism, and more).  I would give this book a soft PG-13 rating, because the main focus of the book is procreation; so some very young characters (14 years old) are involved in adult relationships.  No major detailed descriptions, but the reader is aware that things are happening behind closed doors.

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