Title: Maternal Instinct
Author: Rebecca Bowyer
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Womens Fiction
Publisher: Story Addict
Release Date: 7th October 2019
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Australia 2040. No child lives in poverty and every child is safe. But at what cost?
19-year-old Monica never wanted a baby but the laws require her to give birth twice before she can move on with her life.
Now that her first son, Oscar, has arrived she’s not so sure she wants to hand him over to be raised by professional parents: the Maters and Paters.
When Monica turns to her birth mother, Alice, for help, she triggers a series of events that force Alice to confront her own dark past. Alice must decide – help her daughter break the law, or persuade her to accept her fate and do what’s best for the nation’s children?
Australia 2040. No child lives in poverty and every child is safe. But at what cost?
19-year-old Monica never wanted a baby but the laws require her to give birth twice before she can move on with her life.
Now that her first son, Oscar, has arrived she’s not so sure she wants to hand him over to be raised by professional parents: the Maters and Paters.
When Monica turns to her birth mother, Alice, for help, she triggers a series of events that force Alice to confront her own dark past. Alice must decide – help her daughter break the law, or persuade her to accept her fate and do what’s best for the nation’s children?
PURCHASE LINKS
REVIEW
I
felt immediately curious about a society that strongly discourages
married/loving couple conceiving naturally an bringing up their baby together.
In
this book we have two eras in time the past in 2020 when Alice and Oliver were
in the Mandatory National Procreation Service and the present is 2040 when it
is Monica, Alice’s daughter that is in the process of her Mandatory National
Procreation Service. So to explain this Mandatory Procreation Service, all
males and females around the age of 19 years old have to take part. For males
it is a case of providing sperm donations, or working in some way for the service
like Joe in the book in 2040 he works in a birthing home kitchen to fulfil his
service. Females are expected to have two pregnancies as their duty. They are
inseminated and live in a “Birthing Home” with others of the same age. They are
constantly monitored, given the correct amount, of calories, with the vitamins,
etc, deemed necessary for a successful pregnancy. Once the woman has had the
baby she stays with that baby until he/she is 6 months old when she is expected
to hand the baby over into the “Home System” a special home where other babies
and children of a similar age are. In this “Home System” the children are cared
for by one female who has chosen to become a “mater” and one male who has
chosen to become a “pater”. Once the females have had their two pregnancies,
they are free to go off to further education or training for whatever job they
wish to do. The biological parents of the baby/child are allowed to visit on
Sundays when the mater & pater get their day off.
In
the 2020 year we meet Alice and Oliver who love each other, however when they
enter the Mandatory National Procreation Service, Oliver’s sperm is not
considered “good enough quality” so Alice is impregnated using the sperm of another
male doing his service. The fact Alice is pregnant with another mans child,
despite it being so by law, Oliver doesn’t cope well and they drift apart. It
is only when Alice has finished her service and the baby who Alice names Monica
has been handed over that the pair rekindle their relationship. Even when Alice
takes her rights of visitation every Sunday Oliver does not go with her nor ask
anything about Monica, its as if she doesn’t exist to her. Alice and Oliver
marry and Alice works for the government in the Genetics and Reproduction
Department.
The
characters I loved in this book other than the main ones were Ellie and
Margery.
Ellie
because she was so bossy for a little 4 year old and she clearly love her mater
Margery and her pater Oliver. Ellie really does have Oliver wrapped round her
little finger! In fact, later in the book Oliver proves that he looks upon
Ellie and the other children in his care as his own children despite them
biologically not being his.
I
thought Margery was a brilliant character especially when she talks to Alice,
she encourages her to do what she truly wants and go for it with Monica if that
is what her heart is telling her to.
As there are characters I like, love and adore in the book there
are also those that I disliked, and hated on behalf of the characters they were
awful to. I really got riled with Barbara Mathers, the way she just presumes
that Alice’s pregnancy is a dreadful mistake and that Alice will of course be
terminating the pregnancy at the first possible opportunity because in her
opinion and in fact the opinion of the society within this book she is too old
and having a child and keeping it would dramatically change her status and
career!
I disliked Graham Smythe, he represented that man/woman at work
who is snide and sucks up to the boss all the time. I am sure you know the type
in real life!
I guess my next two characters are unique in that I both liked
and disliked them. I will try to explain without revealing too much. Oliver is
great at his job as a pater putting those children and their welfare and safety
above everyone else in his life, including Alice and someone else who in my
opinion should have come before his role of pater. I hated the fact Oliver was
so selfish when it came to a biological child he had supposedly yearned for and
expected Alice to do what he wanted what society demanded. In a way he attempts
blackmail tactics with Alice to get things to be done the way he wants.
I became annoyed with Alice for the way she brushed away her biological
daughter Monica when she confesses to be having serious doubts about handing
over her son Oscar when the time comes. Alice’s decision at the end of the book
had me puzzled and I found it quite thought provoking, pondering what I would
have done faced with her choices. I honestly don’t think I would have done what
she did. Maybe that makes me selfish, but I would always put my own flesh and
blood ahead of others. I still found myself questioning Alice’s eventual
decision.
Does she think she is some sort of hero that she can make a stand, that she alone can change things for the better, for the masses. Could Alice be part of the policy changes that need to be made or is she simply giving in to blackmail tactics of Oliver.
Does she think she is some sort of hero that she can make a stand, that she alone can change things for the better, for the masses. Could Alice be part of the policy changes that need to be made or is she simply giving in to blackmail tactics of Oliver.
My
immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were that the book had been a
really interesting read and I honestly didn’t see that ending happening. In
fact, I was a bit disappointed with the character Oliver. I was rather
disgusted and disheartened by his attitude towards his own biological child. I think
Oliver’s actions throughout the book were selfish, he wanted everything his
way, irrespective of anyone else’s position.
To
finally sum up I felt I wanted more at the ending of the book. I wanted to know
what the consequences of Alice’s actions would be, both on a personal level and
for the future of the society too. Maybe there will be a second book/novella to
revisit these characters either picking up where this book left off, or even a
year or so down the timeline.
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