The Testament of Jessie Lamb
A Novel
-
-
3.8 • 6 Ratings
-
-
- $6.99
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
In a chilling future, one 16-year-old girl is driven to the ultimate act of heroism. The Testament of Jessie Lamb, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is the breakout novel from award-winning author Jane Rogers. Its cunningly drawn characters and riveting vision of a dystopic future fraught with difficult moral choices will make The Testament of Jessie Lamb an instant favorite for fans of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, and Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man.
“The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie’s, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world.” —The Independent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this unconvincing dystopian novel, Rogers (The Voyage Home) envisions a society undone by the Maternal Death Syndrome, popularly known as MDS. A cross between Mad Cow disease and AIDS created by mysterious bio-terrorists, the virus infects all people, but it kills pregnant women, calling the very survival of humanity into question. Coming of age in this terrible new world, 16-year-old Jessie Lamb must learn to navigate the complexities of adolescence while her world teeters on the brink of collapse. As Jessie and her friends attempt to deal with the disasters bequeathed them by their parents' generation, they must decide what matters to them, and what they want their world to look like. First seeking refuge in various environmental, feminist, and animal rights causes, Jessie eventually comes to understand that real change is only possible through action, and personal freedom exacts a fearsome toll. When her scientist father tells her about an experimental procedure that holds out hope for new births, everything Jessie believes about herself, her family, her life, and the lives of others is put to a terrifying test. Although the premise is initially intriguing, Jessie is too much a cipher for readers to care about her and her decision, which is all too predictable. Even as it gestures at big, topical issues, this dystopia is too slight to genuinely frighten.
Customer Reviews
No sympathy for this dumb "heroine"
The "heroine" in this book is a very young girl facing a major world dilemma. It's vaguely science fiction, but not really. It's kind of more of an alternate history set a few years in the future. the premise is that pregnant women get a disease and die. Science is racing to find a cure, and this young girl wants to be part of solution, by sacrificing herself for science and a cure.
When was the last time you talked to a know it all teenager? Their world view is very narrow and though they think they have all the answers, usually they're just plain old stupid. I relate the main character in this book to having an argument with an extremely religious person. It's illogical, frustrating and you'll never get anywhere.
Her logic leads her to arrive at a place where the only way out is death, and it's a highly frustrating read. She's selfish, self absorbed, and uncaring of the effect her actions have on others. I was so annoyed at her I almost put the book down. I'm not really sure what the point of the novel is supposed to be. I had no sympathy at all for this dumb teenager, and if she was a real person, I'd be glad she was dead and couldn't pass on her genes. Survival of the fittest.