A Dystopian Novel By Kollette Stone
It’s the year 3019 (or thereabouts) and the America Kenna Carson inhabits is a place where children can only be conceived following government approval. To ensure this happens, young women are placed an internal device called heranon, which is removed when their family building plans are officially authorised.
The fact that Kenna is the town’s Mayor daughter, runs a successful psychology practice and is married to a promising surgeon doesn’t really matter when, turning 28, her application is rejected. ‘These things happen’ her mother and sister tell her, ‘You’ll try again and be successful next time’. Kenna, however, is unable to move on from this traumatic experience to the point that she calls into question the health of her marriage, her family ties and even her self-worth.
Her inability to accept a system that is exclusionary by design will cause a dark, unstoppable chain of events that will turn her from model citizen to protest leader, and potentially an outlaw.
The future Kollette Stone depicts in ‘Just One Woman’ could be ours: deteriorating climate conditions leading to the need to preserve nature at any cost, strict birth control policies to ensure society progresses at the right pace (even if this means distorting the very meaning of family) and government overreach more generally. Overall, this is a book that cannot be disliked: it is well written and the story flows fairly well, so it can easily be read in two to three days (or less).
However, the devil’s in the detail… It takes a very long time, and an astounding 150 pages, for Stone to set the scene: the narration really picks up about half-way through, after one has perhaps gotten tired Kenna’s often childish behaviour – constantly dwelling on her possibly failing marriage – and the excessive detail with which her days are described. To be able to deliver on the much-anticipated finale (a happy one) without writing Homer’s Odyssey, Stone had to rush slightly in the last third of the book, with new revelations coming at the reader thick and fast, which might appeal to some.Â
When it comes to the female main character, I personally preferred much more the ‘determined Kenna’ leading a battle for social change to the ‘whining Kenna’ popping up way too often: while I cannot imagine a tougher situation that seeing motherhood denied (at least for those women who wish to build a family), Kenna simply comes across as a weak, needy woman. This is why I found it very challenging to warm up to her or any other character: Stone barely scratches the surface when it comes to character development, which I think is a fatal error given the themes she deals with.
Despite all of the above, I do suggest you pick up a copy today, especially if you like a quick and quirky read: the story is original, pleasantly written and definitely thought-provoking. Let us know what you think!
‘Just One Woman’ is available for purchase at: https://amzn.to/4dylvC7
