Thumped
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The world has been gripped by a catastrophic virus, and everyone over the age of eighteen is infertile. Society now values teenagers above all others, and 'conception contracts' with the most attractive, intelligent girls are eagerly snapped up by would-be-parents, desperate to pay for a healthy baby.
Eight-and-a-half months ago, Melody scored an amazing contract with a rich couple, and was matched with the hottest 'bumping' partner in the world: the gorgeous Jondoe. Her future looked set - until her identical twin Harmony opened the door to Jondoe. A case of mistaken identity and a moment of madness followed - and the wrong sister fell pregnant.
Now Harmony has disappeared, determined to raise her babies herself - and for the last eight-and-a-half months, Melody has been faking the most high-profile pregnancy in the world. And both sisters know time is running out . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McCafferty proves that dystopias don't have to be dreary to be provocative. A virus has left everyone over the age of 18 unable to procreate, making teenagers the only viable "breeders" and spawning a pregnancy-obsessed future society. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of two 16-year-old twins, separated at birth: deeply religious Harmony, raised in god-fearing, vaguely Amish "Goodside," and Melody, whose adoptive parents have been crafting her into the perfect Reproduction Professional or RePro, sought by wealthy, barren couples. McCafferty (the Jessica Darling series) has enormous fun in her first YA novel: tweens, aka "nubie-pubies," try on Preggerz FunBumps, designed to mimic pregnancy; expectant teens munch on Folato Chips for folic acid boosts; and slang like "fertilicious," "terminal," and "barren" is used with abandon. Yet she also raises challenging questions about individuality and morality. There's a predictable though entertaining identity switch, and readers must wait until the next book to learn if these girls end up with the lives (and guys) they want. The book's carefree sexuality and exploitation makes it uncomfortable, scandalous, and not easily forgotten there's little doubt that's exactly what McCafferty is going for. Ages 14 up.
