A review by cathbarton
The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick

5.0

An interesting premise, that external pouches can be used for the gestation of babies, and that these can be carried by both men and women, and burden neither overnight. For in this near-future story the pouch business is just that - a private business, with all the questions about accountability that that raises. The story of The Growing Season is told from the perspectives of people in two inter-connected families, as well as, in part, from the point of view of a disillusioned scientist - shades of David Kelly here.

For me, Helen Sedgwick interweaves the personal, the political and the scientific aspects of her story with skill and nuance. As she did in The Comet Seekers, she draws on her own scientific background; the science is convincing and the level of detail well-judged.

This is a story which tackles serious ethical issues about childbirth without ever becoming sententious. Highly recommended.