The Birth Yard - Mallory Tater

Fiction

Rating: 3/10

I’m ashamed to say that I was fooled by the jacket copy on this book, which dangled an intriguing and singular story premise. The premise wasn’t the problem.  It was the weak writing. Initially I believed that the sing-song staccato of the narration would contribute to a level of menace that suited the plot ideas.  It did not.

As girls reach the age of eighteen in a world ruled by The Den, they are matched to a man and expected to become pregnant.  At that point they are separated from family and friends to reside at the Birth Yard until their babies are born. As readers we were meant to get a sense of peril and rebellion as the story unfolds, but it fell flat.

A question that always lingers after I read these feminist dystopian books, why is it that misogynists always claim that their actions are in the best interests of women?  I say this on behalf of all women, we will decide on our own best interests.

Footnote: One nightmarish thought, the women in this book can’t own or read books without the consent of a man. I am reminded to be grateful that I can read whatever I want.  My decision, on my terms.