Sylvie wants her freedom, but The Deme is forever.
In a world
where natural birth is a violation of The Biocratic Mandate and midwives
are considered terrorists, Sylvie’s life is a deadly game of
cat-and-mouse which she did not choose.
Months after the violent
death of her mother, desperate for a life of her own, one of The City's
most powerful men appears with an offer she cannot refuse: he will get
her off the island and beyond The City’s control in exchange for
attending the birth of his first child. But when Sylvie decides to
attend one final illegal birth for The Deme, the fallout from its
unexpected change of direction jeopardises her well-organised plans.
Suddenly
beyond the control of The Deme and grappling again with the loss of the
boy she loved in the underground, Sylvie is thrust into a new and
precarious self-determination among those who have outlived their
reproductive worth. If she cannot ignore the rekindled yearning for
Daniel, relentlessly back her dream of freedom and trust the help that’s
offered, she won’t survive long enough to rendezvous with Joseph and
his wife.
But once in the heart of The Dead Zone, Sylvie discovers there are more terrifying realities to face than a firing squad.
Her First Reality, Darkness
is a cross-genre, reproductive dystopia with a literary flourish. If
you like fierce heroines and fast-paced storytelling with a feminist
bent, then you'll love Jodi Cleghorn's provocative novella, the first in
The Birthpunk Constellation octet of interconnected stories.
Her First Reality, Darkness is free for the next few days on Kindle.
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