Dark Lullaby

This book was absolutely phenomenal. I really loved the style of writing with the switching back and forth from past to present. The characters and story were captivating and Ho-Yen touched on a lot of really poignant issues from sexism to classism. I literally could not stop reading. It moves rather slowly but you really understand the implications of everything happening and in the end, everything ties itself together in a fascinating and bittersweet way. The worldbuilding is great, the relationships between all the characters are so real (especially Kit and Evie), and the contrast between the Then and Now sections adds to the emotional depth of the story. I would absolutely recommend this book.

This book is definitely one that keeps you gripped and the type you can not put down. The story line keeps you immersed, it is easy to imagine that this is a possibility and not far from becoming real life. I would recommend this.

This sort of book is slightly terrifying.
Taking a future that is not unbelievably too far away,and circumstances that could happen.
Theres so much fear and suspicion and guilt in this story,its a wonder anyones sane at the end of it all. I felt on edge for most of the characters myself.
A real page turner.

Dark Lullaby was a really quick and easy read. I don't always care for skipping timelines in books, but the element of Then and Now worked as intended to keep me invested in the story and what would happen with the characters. The characters themselves were fairly nuanced, and it wasn't until the story's end that I could see their depth. I think that is the mark of a good story - when the ending makes you re-examine the motivations and actions of the characters. As a mother, I had to think about whether I would have made the same decisions, and if I could live with them. That ending...it really puts the whole book in perspective. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

It's been a long while where I had to literally drag myself away from a book, and go be a productive adult. In short, it's a freaking beautifully written page turner and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I have received this book in exchange for an honest review, thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for the opportunity.

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I will admit that I expected something different going into this book, for some reason I expected something of a Victorian or Edwardian setting after I read the synopsis, so seeing that it is actually set in the future was a tiny bit jarring. However, I do think that it also becomes more relatable like that given that it's a situation that I could easily see happen if certain conditions were met, which in turn makes it one scary world to think about.

The thing that really sells the book is how human the characters feel like. The situations they get put into, the decision they have to make because of the OSIP and how unfair it is and how she showed human greed and ruthlessness, is a brilliant character study for anyone who appreciates it and I really liked how flawed everyone was. As a parent myself, I think that I would go to any length for my child as long as I'm able and this book shows that very clearly, especially the ending that feels like it explains a lot of things that might not have been very clear.

Not all parents are the same, not everyone will be willing to keep trying to make things work or change their approach from a terrible situation for their child. Even in a pair, one parent might be a lot a more devoted than another while another pair might be equal in their efforts. That is something I see today, so it's only natural to see it in bigger degrees in a world where being a parent is monitored to the extreme. There are countries in our world where child protection laws are very strict in comparison to others, but even then its nothing like the OSIP's microscope.

It's also interesting to see to see how a woman's role is viewed in a society like this one, I didn't expect anything other than what came to be to be very honest and I think it really solidifies that no matter the timeline or how gender roles change a bit, when it comes to children; a mother or a woman will always be looked at differently than a father or a man. Even their reactions to things will be different, and I really liked the added idea that no, relationships are not always strong enough to withstand anything that gets thrown at them.

"There is something elemental within me that cannot be without her."

Kit's journey is not an easy one, from living in this world with its cruelty to being around friends and family who are always on the risk of getting their kids extracted is not easy. Her own experience in this is also not easy and by the time we actually get there, I have felt an intense need to see her succeed that it was staggering for me as I usually don't get very attached to characters.

I mentioned until we get there in the above because the story is told from different timelines labeled "then" and "now", Kit is the only POV in both, but the situations are totally different until they merge. Because the world is told in tidbits through very very short chapters, I will start building theories on how the OSIP actually functions on what was revealed and slowly that will change as we moved forward in the chapters. I couldn't actually see a solid ending to this book, like I could for so many others before, which made the small personal exercise pretty fun.

The changing timelines were also a bit frustrating to me, because there were times when I wanted to really follow a certain idea or plot point and we'll shift instead. I do know the necessity as Polly Ho-Yen used it to really build the world I just get thrown into using the then timeline more so than the now, but I am selfish and I wanted to focus on some things first before that came to be. The background information was totally needed though, so before I knew it, it just became a mini frustration instead of anything else.

One last thing I really appreciated as well, was that the main relationships in the book were between parents and children or families, familial relationships like these mean a lot more to me than any other type of relationship which attached me even more to it.

Brilliant work overall, and I think that I will be keeping a lookout for anything else she may write for an adult audience if this is the bar she's setting in my mind for herself.

Final rating: 4.5/5

Dark Lullaby  was a book that I have been quite looking forward to reading. It has been compared to the likes of The Handmaids Tale and the whole concept sounded really interesting.

In a future version of our world we are struggling with infertility, 99.98% infertility actually. In this world the only way to have a child is to go through a painful and often dangerous procedure called Induction. This is where a woman is given medication as well as various other examinations and procedures to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs and ideally result in a pregnancy. This not does work for everyone and many women will die from the harrowing effects on their bodies.

Children are precious, they always have been. In this world though every single child counts and in order to protect them there is a department called the OSIP (Office of Standards in Parenting) and every new parent is monitored very closely and can be issued ISP's (Insufficient Standard of Parenting) at any stage. It works on a basis of so many strikes and your out. If you receive too many ISP's then your child will be subject to Extraction and this happens more and more often to the point where it seems new parents are actually resigned to the fact that it is probably going to happen and they actually start to believe that would be in the best interests of the child as they start to question themselves more and more with every ISP received. 

The story is told from the POV of the main character, Kit who is initially an "out" which is a woman who has opted out of the induction program. Society considers that to be very selfish considering the population crisis and outs are subject to lower, capped wages and forced to live in smaller, more delipidated houses. Through Kit's eyes we witness the Induction journey's of her neighbours as well as her sister and then finally her own. It is told in two timelines, "then" and "now" which I usually don't mind but in this case I found it a bit strange because there didn't seem to be any order to the "then" parts and I had to think a little bit too much to keep things in the right order in my own head.

I didn't really find myself relating with or loving any of the characters. Kit comes across as sensible and kind and she does her best to be supportive to her friends and her sister but that's all I really got from her. I would have liked a bit more character building for everyone because they all just felt a bit flat to me. The slight exception to that would be with the sister, Evie, I found her character to be the most interesting because of the way she changes throughout the story. Initially you think it's because the stress and fear of Induction and Extraction has gotten to her a bit but then there is a twist in the story which is explained toward the end that explains the change in her behaviour and you start to understand her and the choices she has made a lot more.

As a story I thought it was all quite interesting and it would be a very scary reality to be living in.

The writing is easy to read and understand and it was really quick to read. I finished it in one day.

I think it was good, enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dystopian worlds or books like The Handmaids Tale.

I don't think that I would read it a second time.

“We used to worry about nuclear weapons, overpopulation, climate change… but not this. Not infertility.”

It’s been over twenty years since the last child was conceived naturally. Trying to have a baby involves long, painful, and sometimes fatal fertility treatment, but a successful outcome – a child – is the most precious thing in the modern world. So precious that the government takes an active hand in that child’s upbringing. So precious that parents can’t be trusted to do the right thing. They need to be observed. They need to be judged. And if they’re found wanting…well, that’s what the OSIP inspectors are for.

Dark Lullaby is set in a near-future dystopia where humanity faces an almost 100% infertility rate. On the surface, it’s a novel about a mother’s love for her child, and what lengths she will go to to protect that child. Dig a bit deeper, and it becomes an observation of the way in which a woman’s worth is often linked to her fecundity and how well she performs the roles that society expects from her, and the way in which she is punished if she rebels or fails. It’s totally not my sort of novel, but I loved it. It’s thoughtful and well-written, with an undercurrent of menace running throughout. It’s also perfectly plausible: studies have shown that sperm counts are dropping in the west, and reproduction rates are dropping all across the world. I wonder how our respective governments would respond to a suddenly shrinking populace?

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The writing style was amazing. I really enjoyed that it alternated between the past and present.
The storyline is unique and isn't something I've read a lot of before.
The characters were well-developed and easy to like / relate to.
The concept of the book was great. I'd definitely read over books by this author.

Kit didn't think she would ever wand a child. She saw how hart it is to have one in a world where there is an infertility crisis.
She has seen her sister go through the most agonizing and painful fertility treatments. Then she meets Thomas. They both decided that they would want to have a child.
The world is different. Children are supposed to be parented to a high degree of perfection. If you don't or are unable to follow these guidelines, you will lose your child. How far would you go to have and keep your child?
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher to read and review.
I enjoyed reading this book. It gets you thinking, pondering what it could be like to live in that kind of a world. Great book!

Dark Lullaby is a dystopian fiction about a world which faces an incredibly serious fertility crisis and children are scarce. Procedures are put in place in an effort to rectify the problem, however, the system in place is far from perfect. Women are ‘encouraged’ to go through painful and dangerous fertility treatments in the hopes of being able to get pregnant. Rewards are given to those who apply for the programme and sanctions are placed on those who choose otherwise. It doesn’t stop there, as once the babies are born the parents risk their child being ‘extracted’ if they don’t meet the governments strict parenting guide. The premising is terrifying especially as it seems like something that could possibly happen in the distant future, if such fertility problems arose. The story follows Kit and her family through two timelines — ‘Then’ and ‘Now’, as she recounts the issues she faces to bring her family back together. The writing is captivating and the chapters are extremely short, which I loved as I couldn’t put it down. It is very reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, due to the similarity of the issue that’s discussed here, but it’s a compelling story in itself. I didn’t expect it to end the way that it did, however, I felt that it was very realistic and true to the nature of the story. Overall it was a gripping tale, and left me with a lot of food for thought.

Book Review for Dark Lullaby by Polly Ho-Yen
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Infertility isn't often thought of as world ending, but it definitely should be. In Dark Lullaby, infertility has risen to over 98%. There are various explanations bandied about, but no one seems sure exactly what's happened. All they know is that for women to give birth, they have to go through a regimen of drugs that are as likely to kill them as help them; if they do fall pregnant, they are supervised literally every step of the way; assuming they make it to birth, their child still might be taken away from them. OSIP, the government body concerned with protecting children, have absolute powers and can take children away at any time for any reason.
This story is set in two timelines, 'now' and 'then'. I'm not very clear on how long the gap between them is; there's no times attached to either of them. All we know is that a child who was a baby 'then' is still a child, probably under ten, 'now'.

I don't really like stories that jump timelines, partly because it's harder to follow and partly because I get involved with one storyline and then have to leave it. However, after a while with this one I didn't have any problem following it. (I was still getting involved with a storyline, but that's probably a good sign.)

The ending was kind of a downer, but that's true of Handmaid's, too, and honestly I'm not sure how else it could have ended. Everything was always going to get to the point it's at.

It's a good, slightly depressing but really interesting read. I'm glad I stuck it out past the initial uncertainty because it really did pick up after a while.

In a near future where infertility is a problem, pregnancy and parenting are moderated. You are chosen for induction (impregnation) which is dangerous, then if successful, are closely monitored as a parent by a totalitarian government. If found at fault you may lose the child.

There is a mystery surrounding the extractions. This is the story of Kit and what lengths she goes to, so she can keep her daughter Mimi. It goes back and forth between two timelines, then and now piquing your curiosity from the very beginning.

Raw and honest, a narrative doused with melancholy but also a projection of the fear that society in general and parents specifically live in. The fear our protagonists live in the Now. The emotions here are potent, there are parts that are heartbreaking. I really enjoyed the descriptions with small everyday details, things you might think to yourself while observing what is happening around you in the moment. Even though it is a 1st person POV you get a great sense of all the characters and the dialogues are so earnest.

This is a slow burner and the story sometimes seems to be dragging its feet. The timelines do a little back and forth of their own and that's a little jarring. There are points where it might be somewhat aggravating because they are not needed in my opinion or should be more linear. But you cannot deny that both timelines are always interesting.

When you start getting lost in the intrigue, the switches between Then and Now amp up the suspense. The story really takes of. You are pleasantly surprised with the unexpected twists. And that big revelation that is a stroke of genius.

A central theme here is the intricacies of human relationships and how difficult they can be. How secrets can sometimes be destructive, especially from our loved ones. The undeniable power of the love for a child. Is there a price too high to pay for your children?

This is a great story, with a knack for making you care and gorgeous portrayals of emotion. I will be sure to look out for anything new by Polly Ho-Yen.

This book was brilliant! So glad I requested it, it was such a terrifying and believable read- it’s not hard to imagine that world being our own and I found it easy to get fully immersed into the world. It’s definitely a quick read and I didn’t want to put this down, it’s definitely a page turner

Dark Lullaby by Polly Ho-Yen is a bleak look at a future where women can no longer have children naturally. They have to go through a process called induction in which they have to take a regimen of drugs to help their bodies be able to sustain a pregnancy. For women who decide not to have children, well they are considered "outs" having opted out of this process. Women and their partners who decide to go through the process are paid more, have better housing and obviously valued more.
But once you have a baby, the "governments" involvement doesn't end there. Enforcers, people who watch you raise your child and give you IPS (infractions) for doing anything they consider wrong. After so many IPS they take your baby.
This story is about two sisters, one who wants and has a child and the other who is an "out". The story is told back and forth between the present "Now" and the past "Then". Its a very dark look at the choices women make and the lengths that they will go to keep their children.
I really enjoyed the book, it definitely had Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) vibe about it as well as Vox by Christina Dalcher.

This excellent book plays on the fears and paranoia of parents with new-borns. In a similar vein to "Handmaid's Tale" and "Vox", it shows a dystopian future in which women find it difficult to conceive and the only way is via induction. A highly addictive book with a satisfying ending.

I keep seeing this book compared to The Handmaid’s Tale....and while similar in thought, Dark Lullaby tells of a dystopian future all its own. During a future infertility crisis of the world, not everyone is afforded the luxury of having, or keeping, a child. Very intriguing, I found it hard to put down.

I think the cover of this book really does it job well! It certainly attracts your eye, demanding your attention. The main focus on the cover is the silhouette figure of a quite heavily pregnant female figure. There are what appears to be birds flying around the woman, upon reading the book at first, I wondered if these birds represented the sphere’s, but then I saw the eye-shape image further down the cover that I reckon is a sphere. So, I reckon the birds could represent that there are eyes everywhere always watching, ready to swoop down and deliver the dreaded ISP notices. I’ll be really interested to learn what other readers think they are too. Every time I look at this book cover, I notice something else! Oh! and I cannot forget the by-line, “How Far Would You Go To Protect Your Child?” My immediate thoughts were, I would do anything, and everything, to protect my child, and still would!




So back to the by-line, “How Far Would You Go To Protect Your Child?” after having read the book. I once again asked myself the same question both from my own point of view and then from the point of view of the characters of Evie and Kit who both have to make this decision in the book after discovering some quite valuable knowledge to use as leverage for their own selves and family, I also thought about the other characters who did not have this knowledge/leverage at their disposal. After agonising from all sides of the “argument” I had to say the same answer and agree with both Evie and Kit’s decision, though I would have thought Evie would have confided and/or shared this valuable information with her sister Kit earlier. However, Evie never really tells her sister she more points her in the direction of the knowledge and its up to Kit to joint all the clues, and sort out her life going forward.

The genres listed for this book are Thriller, Mystery, Sci-fi and Fantasy which I totally agree with but I would also add futuristic because who knows where our present real-life society to lead! Also, I would place this book in the dystopian genre, in fact it has been compared to great dystopian The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Attwood, which I have to agree to feeling there were some similarities (though in the interest of being totally honest I have not read the books. I watch the series and do have the books to read!).

I guess I should now try to describe a little bit about the back without revealing anything too “spoilery”. I would say the book is set in a futuristic dystopian world where infertility is extreme high. Couples really struggle to have babies. Over time more and more regulations and laws have been put in to improve a couple’s chance of conceiving and having a healthy baby. Some people who do not wish to go through the sometimes, gruelling treatments to become pregnant opt out, and are in fact called “outs”. Though there are not official punishments for not having a bay, those that choose to have children earn more housing credits, they can earn more. Basically, those in power are doing their utmost to make induction and pregnancy as desirable as possible and those who refuse induction are not openly punished yet live in poorer quality houses & have lower wages. They get to a certain level in their job where they cannot progress any further, or earn any more money. They are stuck at the same level for the rest of their life unless they then choose to have children.

When going through the Induction the woman has to take a cocktail of drugs to improve her own bodily hormones to achieve the perfect balance for an optimum pregnancy. This does take a toll of the woman both physically, mentally and emotionally. The couple also needs to read up on everything they are going through and attend meetings where all sorts of different scenarios are talked about and they are judged by not only official but by their peers too. Once the couple becoming pregnant and have their baby home the pressure cooker atmosphere continues their lives are under a microscope always being watched for anything that doesn't meet the office of standards of parenting. Eyes are always watching, ready to report any mishap or incident. Parents live in constant fear of not meeting the required standard and having their precious baby removed from them. Throughout the time period covered in the book, the amount of IPS notices couples are allowed to incur changes, but there is always a certain set amount, cut off. Should you exceed that amount your child is taken away. Your child is taken to a communal type home where they are given the best of everything and cared for and brought up as those in power determine they should be. IPS (Insufficient Parenting Standard) notices can be given for numerous, ever changing breaches.

The two central female characters in the book are Evie and Kit. They have both been brought up mainly by their father and are among the last children to be born via natural means. Their mother and younger sibling both died. Kit was too young to really remember much about her mum or sister, thought older sister Evie does share the occasional memory about them. The sisters are very close to each other at the beginning of the book though that doesn’t mean that they agree about having children. Evie is wholeheartedly for going through induction, believing all the hype about needing to breast feed only being best for the baby, until her own baby is not gaining enough weight. Evie risks receiving an IPS for Jakob not gaining enough weight so she secretly obtains “illegal” formula milk which she ends up being discovered meaning she gets an IPS anyway. Kit tries to help her sister as much as she can but with Evie determined to stick to being the best parent ever, she cuts her sister off, not allowing her to hold Jakob for fear of Kit not holding the baby correctly and incurring more IPS notices.
It's at Jakob’s naming ceremony that Kit’s future changes when she meets a work mate of Seb’s called Thomas. It’s not so long until they start dating and though they begin with agreeing on not wanting children, soon their resolve starts to be chipped away at.

The book tells the stories of both sister’s families. Evie & Seb who sadly receive so many IPS notices their relationship doesn’t survive and their precious son is removed from their care. Then suddenly Evie moves to a nicer home and is given her son back. Evie is so won over to the work of the government that she talks about becoming an enforcer herself. When Kit and Thomas face the increasing possibility of having their cherished daughter Mimi away because of receiving IPS notices too often they plan to run away, with the help of a local undercover resistance group, but this still means being separated from Mimi for a length of time that Kit cannot cope with. When she gets an urge to go to her daughter, to retrieve her from those hiding her runs away from her husband Thomas scared he will not agree with her actions. When there is no where else to turn, Kit puts what is left of her faith in their bond to the test and approaches her sister for help, but what is Evie hiding, why does she live so far away from everyone else alone with Jakob? Why does she seem so standoffish with her own sister? Finally, just as Kit is about to give up, Evie offers Kit her own car to take Mimi to hospital and an address of someone who may be able to help Kit, but why should Kit trust her now?

I felt really drawn in and hooked into this book and truthfully hated having to put it down. I had so many questions and thoughts whilst reading the book How can the new parents ever fulfil the extremely, ever complicated regulations for bringing up their child correctly? Is Induction just an elaborate breeding program? Where the child is removed from the parents is it always the answer for the child’s best interest for them to be placed into the ideal compound environment? What are the children told about their parents? Do parents/children ever get to see one another again?

There are so many twists, turns and different levels to this book and its society. The disturbing thing is that the society is not all that unbelievable! I think the fact that I could read this book and be convinced that this type of thing could actually happen made it all the more of a gripping, enthralling, unputdownable book! I honestly pitied both sisters, but more so Kit, which is quite strange when at the end of the book she is an enforcer. One of those that hide in cars with tinted windows, turn up at homes all times of day or night that at times seem to great delight in handing out Insufficient Parenting Standard notices. I truly went through a wide range of emotions reading this book. There were moments of joy, poignancy and great warm feeling family scenes too amidst the horror, disbelief, sorrow, pity and desperation for those who had their children removed from them. I also felt shock and disgust when the secrets and truths behind all the child removals was revealed. I thought that those in power may have been helping the infertility issues but they also created a horrible society where people are continually under surveillance and pressure. It is such a pressurised situation that it comes between husband & wife as well as coming between two sisters, where one sister is scared to help the other and her baby for the fear of her own child being taken from her! A society that is supposedly geared to building families, yet whilst helping make additions to couples and building new families, if the rules are not met to a sufficient standard these families are cruelly ripped apart.
This book is definitely up on my best reads list! I would compare Dark Lullaby to Maternal Instinct and Stealing Time both by Rebecca Bowyer which I have read, adored and highly recommend, along with The Farm by Joanne Ramos, VOX and Q both by Christina Dalcher.

To sum up, I found the society both interesting and intriguing. How the book ends it all makes sense as a standalone book. Having said that I would love more! Maybe one or both sisters and their husbands could become part of a resistance movement against those in charge? I will most certainly be looking out for other books by this author!

"Dark Lullaby" is one of those books that makes you squirm a little bit. It is so fantastically written that I couldn't help wondering if Polly Ho-Yen had seen the future... This is a really gripping story that is more than a little bit heart-breaking in parts and it had me on the edge of my sofa several times. Just pure brilliance!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

A quick Google of the term 'fertility crisis' provides a simple explanation for why, since The Handmaid's Tale, dystopic fiction about women forced or coerced into pregnancy has been so popular. Skimming down the entries, I can see a news article on the topic for almost every year. Although more recently, the concern has been over falling sperm counts. Still, it's an old habit to blame infertility on women. Why would we stop now?

Dark Lullaby doesn't shy away from what are likely to be quick associations with Margaret Atwood's perhaps best-known novel. The red cover is reminiscent of the handmaids' outfits, while also perhaps referencing recent 'feminist' dystopias such as Naomi Alderman's Baileys prize-winning The Power. Placing the book within such a well-known and popular canon engages early with a wide and loyal readership, but also sets up expectations for this author who is stepping into adult fiction for the first time.

Luckily for us, Polly Ho-Yen has got an excellent story to tell. While the world-building in the opening chapters of the book occasionally felt a little clunky, with some instances of characters reminding each other of information they surely already knew, once the story proper kicks into gear, it's a proper page-turner!

Dark Lullaby follows the stories of Kit and Evie, sisters who face the choice of whether to go through the government-encouraged system of induction to conceive children. The process itself is dangerous, and if a child is conceived, parenting is closely monitored and any minor slip-up could result in 'extraction'; the child being removed from the parents, never to be seen again. Kit and Evie seem to have very different views on the benefits of having children, despite strong financial, social and moral incentives to do so. This is a story about family relationships in a world where children are property, but with the almost obligatory 'twist' at the end.

Reading this book as a woman -- and as a woman who has made a conscious decision, for several reasons, not to have children -- was not always easy. The world Polly Ho-Yen describes is different from today's Britain, but it does highlight the social responsibility that's placed on reproduction and, in particular, on motherhood and the way new mothers are scrutinised. The emphasis on 'good' mothers and 'bad' mothers, and the ways these terms are used by institutions to manipulate public opinion, is an edge Dark Lullaby has that perhaps pushes it closer to home than other similar texts.

Although Polly Ho-Yen's world might feel familiar to Gilead or P.D. James's Britain in Children of Men, it is the relationships at the heart of this novel that make it unique and worthy. The way sisterhood is explored, and the things that can complicate romantic and familial relationships.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advanced review copy of this book.

Wow. I just finished this and I am still shook by that reveal.

I was hooked from the start. I've seen some reviewers compar the story to that of The Handmaid's Tale, but don't let that discount the originality of Dark Lullaby. Though it has a similar atmosphere, it truly is a while new terrifying world.

The writing was beautiful, the story was well-executed, and the ending was heartbreaking.

I would recommend a trigger warning for fertility and custody issues.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love that there are more and more books being published with motherhood at their core. Dark Lullaby joins the ranks of Q, The Mother Fault and The Farm, imagining a dark future of suffocating control over women's reproduction and parenting.

The catalyst in Dark Lullaby is a dramatic rise in infertility, to 98% of the population. It's not the first novel to deal with such a future scenario, following in the footsteps of P.D. James' The Children of Men and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

Author Ho-Yen imagines a world where women are pressured to go through 'induction' - a process similar to IVF but which can cause serious illness and maternal death - and are monitored throughout the pregnancy and early childhood to make sure they're doing everything correctly. Even minor transgressions are met with a state-issued formal warning. Too many warnings, particularly in the first year of a child's life, and the baby will be 'extracted' - that is, taken away to be raised in the compounds where it can be cared for 'properly'.

Perhaps most concerning, to me, was that I didn't find it particularly surprising. Having birthed and raised two small children myself, level of monitoring and critique - both external and self-imposed - is enormous. It's not as formalised as in Dark Lullaby (nobody will knock on your door and issue you a warning for feeding your baby formula without permission) but the scrutiny and the pressure to do everything 'right' is certainly there.

For me, Dark Lullaby was an enjoyable read but felt a little predictable, although this is quite possibly simply because I've read so many similar books. It's well written, very plausible and an important conversation to have. Parents need to be responsible and accountable - that's a given - but how far should the state go to ensure this happens?

Dark Lullaby is the latest release from Titan Books, one that presents a grim future for Britain, but one that seems so plausible it's absolutely frightening.

The book follows the life of Kit, a woman who's struggling to keep her family together in a world where the slightest deviation from what those in authority see as good parenting can cause your child to be taken away from you forever. Set in a future where the vast majority of humanity has become infertile, new technology has been developed to enable people to become pregnant, though it's not without significant risks.

We follow Kit through two different periods of her life, with chapters alternating between her as a young single woman and her as a mother who's trying to prevent her daughter daughter from being taken away. Through these intertwining narratives we start to unravel why Kit goes from someone who never wants to go through the dangers of having a child, to someone willing to go on the run to protect her daughter. 

One of the things that makes Dark Lullaby so engrossing, that really makes you want to keep on reading even though it's a pretty depressing book at times, is how much it feels like what you're reading here could actually come to pass. The Britain presented in Polly Ho-Yen's story isn't too far removed from what we have now, but for a few differences. There's an almost constant state presence in public and people homes, as government approved films and broadcasts are streamed out over devices, and not allowed to be turned off. We also learn that through some sly political manoeuvring there's only a one party system now, and that those in charge are pretty misogynistic, and unforgiving towards people. I'm sure some will argue that that doesn't seem realistic, but given some of the violence against women in the UK this last few weeks, and the government trying to make protest illegal it strikes me as very plausible that a government could reach that stage, especially if something like world wide infertility became an issue.

Despite setting up this new version of the United Kingdom the story isn't really about this future, but about one family, and the trials they go through. Over the course of the two time periods we learn a lot about Kit, and her sister, and the struggles they go through with their family. When Kit is at the point in her life that she doesn't want to be a parent her sister is going through the lengthy process of becoming a mother, followed by the frightening trials of keeping her child from being taken away. Kit is able to show her sister support, and can try to be there for her, but as she gets closer and closer to losing her son their relationship strains and the two sisters drift further apart; to the point where when Kit herself is a mother and finds herself in a similar situation to her sister she's suddenly alone and without her support.

The book examines family relationships, and how extreme stress and trauma can shape and change those dynamics. We see people who openly fall apart as the government breathes down their necks, and others who put on a brave public face. We see some marriages flourish, with partners coming together stronger than ever, whilst others fall to pieces thanks to the pressure of the loss of their child looms on the horizon. And this is what I think makes the book so engaging and affecting. It puts you in these peoples worlds at the most awful times in their lives, at times when they risk losing the thing they love the most.

I'm not a parent, and I have no intention of ever becoming one. Parenting isn't for me for a number of reasons. However, even as some one who never wants a child Polly Ho-Yen managed to make me feel something whilst reading this book. She got me to feel like I was in these people's shoes, experiencing the stress and trauma that they were living with; the desperation to hold onto their children as the world around them turned against them. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to feel like you're having to be constantly on the lookout, to not be able to trust anyone because you believe they could try to take your child from you, but I feel like I've had a little glimpse into that thanks to this book.

Dark Lullaby isn't a light read; the 'dark' in the title really gives that away. There aren't many moments of happiness, there's a constant fear and dread that permeates the book, yet despite that I wasn't able to stop reading it. I couldn't help but be drawn into this world and these characters, and I feel like it's a book I'm going to be remembering and recommending for a long time.

Dark Lullaby is Ho-Yen’s first foray into adult speculative fiction and is a bleak yet compulsive dystopian tale set around the topic of motherhood. Infertility has become almost universal, with 99.98% of the population unable to naturally conceive, and government surveillance means that your every move in watched, analysed and critiqued. While affluent women can afford XC babies that are created in laboratories and come to full term in an artificial womb, those who are less lucky must undergo a dangerous procedure known as Induction. They are encouraged to do so to repopulate the near-future world in which they live as those who refuse to be impregnated in this manner are shunned by society and labelled as an "out" — literally someone who has opted out of the Induction programme. This leads to fewer job opportunities and a poorer quality of life for the female regardless of their skillset or intelligence. Pressured into becoming induced, despite its often fatal consequences, it is a painful, terrifying process and involves the use of many potent medications to help the body prepare to sustain a pregnancy. Then there are the seemingly ceaseless examinations and procedures to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs with the hope that the subject comes to bear a child.

However, due to this manufactured manipulation of the bodies systems, it often doesn't work and the only result is the death of the individual being induced due to the harrowing effects these procedures have on a women’s fragile body, but this doesn't appear to be much of a concern to the state. And even when you successfully conceive and a healthy baby is born, big brother, aka the OSIP (Office of Standards in Parenting), monitors everything you do from the moment you embark on your fertility journey right through to rearing the child, and anything they deem to be inappropriate is scrutinised and compiled into a wrap sheet. When a certain number of infractions have occurred they take your child away from you, known as Extraction, which is a terrifying and horrific prospect for any mother but especially when you have gone through hell to conceive. This is a riveting, fascinating and deeply disturbing book that held my attention throughout and reminded me very much of The Handmaid's Tale and Vox. The worldbuilding was incredible with intricate touches and thorough attention paid to the plot and characters and an unsettling, oppressive atmosphere that underpinned the whole novel. This is a dark, scintillating read with plenty to keep you turning the pages. Highly recommended.

The near future. In a world where infertility is the biggest problem, women are encouraged to have children through Induction. Once they embark on their fertility journey, they are monitored by OSIP (The Office of Standards in Parenting).
Once the baby is born, the OSIP scrutiny doesn't end. If the parents fail to be perfect, their child will be extracted from them.
Kit is an "out"; she doesn't want to have children. Having witnessed a few Extractions, she can't imagine ever going through the same. Until she meets Thomas.


I love dystopian fiction, so of course, I was drawn in by the blurb of this book.
It was a gripping read, but not in the sense of being fast-moving. What made me race through it was the knowledge of what was going to happen, and the need to get to that point as fast as possible to see how it would be resolved.
The story alternates between now and then, and I think that also helped to keep the suspense.
It's the first dystopian story I read that doesn't centre around trying to overthrow the government and getting rid of the predicament in which the characters found themselves. However, because of that, the ending, albeit good, wasn't entirely satisfactory.
Still, it was a great read, and I truly enjoyed it. If you're a dystopian fiction fan, be sure to check it out.

Wow what a read!!!

This book was Fantastic! It reminded me of an episode of the TV show black Mirrors. It was a such a different and kind of heartbreaking dystopian read. I would hate to ever think of a world with those kinds of secrets, lies and disturbances.

The author really captures the reader with the storyline as it’s something you never want to go through but can almost imagine it happening.

The book alternates from past to present painting the story with many twists and turns, it was dark, enthralling, gripping and absolutely BRILLIANT, I just couldn’t stop turning the pages.