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A review by callum_mclaughlin
The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick
4.0
Though it may be fairly quiet in execution compared to other speculative (and arguably dystopian) works, this book is certainly thought-provoking. It does indeed tackle a lot of big themes, chief amongst them being parenthood, morality, gender equality, and the danger of pushing science too far.
With babies now able to be developed in external wombs known as pouches, the way has been paved for true equality between the sexes. Women no longer have to fear the health implications of pregnancy and birth, nor do they require time off work to recuperate, leading to balanced career opportunities and fairer maternity/paternity leave. Better yet, both parents can share the load when it comes to carrying and caring for the pouch, granting all prospective parents a fair and equally involved experience. All is well... or perhaps not.
I really appreciated that Sedgwick presented sympathetic and engaging characters on both sides of the 'pouch' argument. They're flawed and fleshed out, and all hold their pro or anti-pouch beliefs for equally valid reasons, with the author not sitting in judgement of any of them. In doing this, she highlights the ethical grey area that typically comes with medical advances, and successfully makes the point that there is often no one clear-cut answer as to what is right and what is wrong.
I also really appreciated that she touched on many different facets of the pouch's intersectional impact, and the various groups it positively impacted (including gay couples, single parents, trans people, and those who were previously infertile). But again, in the spirit of balance, she also touched on the negative impact it had (including the use of the pouch to ostracise 'redundant' women, a lack of knowledge as to possible long-term effects of pouch births, and the rise of care homes necessary to house the children taken as embryos and born via pouch in place of abortions).
In structure, it occasionally comes unstuck slightly. There are several perspectives and timelines covered, and the transitions between them weren't always as seamless as could be.
The book asks if we can (and should) try to evolve beyond the limits of nature. It also asks what the cost of true physical equality could be, and what it really means to be a parent. Can we be universally equal, or will human corruption and fundamental difference of opinion always separate us? Should we even strive for equality in terms of the physical, or should mutual respect and embracement of biological difference be our aim instead?
For all its grounding in science and ethics, however, this is in fact a very human story, being largely a rumination on longing for family, and living with grief and guilt. If you like your speculative, dystopian works on the subtle, though no less thought-provoking side, this is well worth a read.
With babies now able to be developed in external wombs known as pouches, the way has been paved for true equality between the sexes. Women no longer have to fear the health implications of pregnancy and birth, nor do they require time off work to recuperate, leading to balanced career opportunities and fairer maternity/paternity leave. Better yet, both parents can share the load when it comes to carrying and caring for the pouch, granting all prospective parents a fair and equally involved experience. All is well... or perhaps not.
I really appreciated that Sedgwick presented sympathetic and engaging characters on both sides of the 'pouch' argument. They're flawed and fleshed out, and all hold their pro or anti-pouch beliefs for equally valid reasons, with the author not sitting in judgement of any of them. In doing this, she highlights the ethical grey area that typically comes with medical advances, and successfully makes the point that there is often no one clear-cut answer as to what is right and what is wrong.
I also really appreciated that she touched on many different facets of the pouch's intersectional impact, and the various groups it positively impacted (including gay couples, single parents, trans people, and those who were previously infertile). But again, in the spirit of balance, she also touched on the negative impact it had (including the use of the pouch to ostracise 'redundant' women, a lack of knowledge as to possible long-term effects of pouch births, and the rise of care homes necessary to house the children taken as embryos and born via pouch in place of abortions).
In structure, it occasionally comes unstuck slightly. There are several perspectives and timelines covered, and the transitions between them weren't always as seamless as could be.
The book asks if we can (and should) try to evolve beyond the limits of nature. It also asks what the cost of true physical equality could be, and what it really means to be a parent. Can we be universally equal, or will human corruption and fundamental difference of opinion always separate us? Should we even strive for equality in terms of the physical, or should mutual respect and embracement of biological difference be our aim instead?
For all its grounding in science and ethics, however, this is in fact a very human story, being largely a rumination on longing for family, and living with grief and guilt. If you like your speculative, dystopian works on the subtle, though no less thought-provoking side, this is well worth a read.