So, Why Couldn't You Finish It?
In the near future, infertility has struck everyone over the age of 18. Because of this, teen girls are encouraged to "bump" -- get pregnant. Recently reuinited 16 year old twins, Melody and Harmony go about this in very different ways. Harmony, raised on a religious commune, is preparing herself for wife and motherhood. Melody, raised by hyper-perfectionist parents, has "gone pro" and sold her fertility to the highest bidder.
There is something here -- the idea of teen pregnancy being a desirable state, and the commodification of teen fertility -- these both have great narrative potential.
However, McCafferty's writing does nothing for me. The jargon of her dystopia is artificial and cloying, and instead of creating a world, pulled me out of it. More pressingly, Harmony and Melody are flat out annoying, and not interesting enough to compensate for it. Throw in a crush on a "perfect" guy by the religious girl, and the refusal of the "perfect" girl to realize that she's crazy about her best friend... I'm done.
Dissenting opinions?
Publisher's Weekly
Good Golly Miss Holly
Write Meg
Final Word: Annoying and trite pretty much spells the end of a book for me. I have too much other stuff to read....
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