Maternal Instinct by Rebecca Bowyer

Title: Maternal Instinct

Author: Rebecca Bowyer

Genre: Dystopian/Futuristic Fiction/Speculative Fiction

Publisher: Story Addict Publishing

Published: 7th October 2019

Format: Paperback

Pages: 306

Price: $22.99

Synopsis: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.

~*~

In 2040, a new party is ruling the country – the Equality Party, and they have been since 2020. In this new world, biological parents don’t raise their children – they are raised by professional parents under a program linked to the G.D.S – the Genetic Diversification System. This system also oversees the National Service program – where young men – at eighteen – give their sperm to be matched genetically with girls – who must produce two children as part of their national service for the good of the nation. The girls then spend six months with their babies before the children are handed over to professional parents – Maters and Paters.

Monica has just had her first baby, and her story is at the centre of this. Raised in the system, she hasn’t really questioned it until she gives birth to her son, Oscar. Her mother, Alice, was among the first women to give their children over to the system she works within. Yet following the birth of her grandson, she watches as Monica struggles to come to terms with what she has to do, and from within, watches as the system she has come to trust begins to crumble from within as she notices the flaws, and hears secrets come out that shge never thought were possible.

Set in a not too distant future, knowing this could happen, or something like this could happen with the current political environment, and nations like America stripping back the rights women have fought so hard for, is terrifying. This book shows the flaws in any political system – even democracy and how far a party will take what they stand for to extremes that supposedly help people bit might do more harm than good in the long run. No political party is immune to something like this happening either.

Even though this has been likened to The Handmaid’s Tale, it is distinctly Australian, and the women are still allowed to have a life and career – as long as they’ve gone through two pregnancies and procedures to ensure they do not have any further unauthorised pregnancies outside of the G.D.S. system. People often say there should be qualifications to become parents, but what would that lead to? A situation like the G.D.S. and the Mater and Pater system that Rebecca has written about is one way it might go, and in a way that is terrifying that this could happen.

So perhaps this should be a cautionary tale about how not to conduct business or tell people how to raise their families, as well as not forcing people to use their bodies for the good of the state over their own health and well-being. I did enjoy this novel, as it was slightly different from what I usually read. It dealt with the potential for this situation eloquently and sensitively, showing that trying to genetically alter genes, or make sure there is as little sickness and as few variables in health as possible can backfire and come back to bite those who advocate for it on the arse.

A very well written novel, that I hope many people will enjoy and is part of my Australian Women Writer’s Challenge. Thanks to Rebecca for sending me a review copy.