One By Eve Smith

 

One by Eve Smith.

Published 20th July 2023 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

One law. One child. Seven million crimes…

A cataclysmic climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory abortion of 'excess' pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm, and families must adhere to strict consumption quotas as the world descends into chaos.

Kai is a 25-year-old `baby reaper´, working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned families attempt to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price.

Until, one morning, she discovers that an illegal sibling on her Ministry hit-list is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else finds out.

Kai's hunt for her forbidden sister unearths much more than a dark family secret. As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a catastrophic discovery that could bring down the government … and tear her family apart.

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In the face disaster as a result of a climate emergency, the UK has accepted the need for drastic change. The One party now holds sway with limits on the resources people can consume, and a one-child policy that is strictly enforced.

Compliance is policed by dedicated agents working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. For those breaking the one-child limit, punishments are hard, with compulsory abortion for 'excess pregnancies'. Many women have agreed to mandatory contraceptive implants to prevent a visit from the 'baby reapers' at the Ministry, but there are always those who choose to break the rules.

Kai is a 25 year old 'baby reaper' and although she sometimes finds her role difficult, she is positive that the one-child policy is the only way for humankind to have any sort of future. However, her faith in Party policy is shaken when she discovers that she has an illegal sibling of her own. With the clock counting down, Kai must undergo a covert investigation to discover how and why her parents broke the rules, before the authorities come for her family, but what she uncovers goes much deeper than a dark family secret... 

One is the third epic near-future novel from Eve Smith, and it is her most ambitious so far. Smith has an uncanny knack for looking at contemporary issues and speculating just how perilous they could become, and her prophecies are eerily accurate. Following on from her previous chilling forays into antibiotic resistance and genetic manipulation, with The Waiting Rooms and Off Target respectively, in One Smith turns her insightful eye towards climate change and population control - weaving an exploration of the pitfalls that lie ahead for humankind into a cracking dystopian thriller.

Smith paints a picture of a world in freefall. Unchecked climate change has altered the face of the planet, and led to an influx of immigrants into the UK. The most important single initiative to save the planet is the introduction of a one-child policy, to reduce the population in line with ever dwindling resources. This policy is non-negotiable and enforced with brutal measures, but the chance of a future that the One party promises gives people hope. However, not everyone is convinced by party propaganda, especially the vulnerable who inevitably pay a bigger price in pursuit of utopia, and this allows Smith to introduce a compelling storyline that forces Kai to confront the lies that have seduced her.

So much of this novel evokes the menace of Orwell's 1984, especially in the rigid control of the state on individual freedoms and the use of propaganda, but Smith also injects her tale with pace and delicious twists in a way that is so evocative of the gripping stories of Michael Crichton. This gives her a spellbinding style all of her own, that combines a heartfelt message with a page-turner story that holds you fast from unsettling beginning to bittersweet ending.  

A word here for Smith's impressive skill in offering timely issues for our consideration in a way that makes them beautifully accessible to her readers. This book will have you pondering some very weighty topics, and thinking long and hard about the inevitable consequences of where we are heading. She offers no easy answers about the dilemma we face in controlling the global population explosion, but urges us to stop and consider the kind of future we want. Her intention is to offer us a cautionary tale, and she pulls this off to perfection. And before you close the covers, I recommend a read of the section at the end of this brilliant novel, touching on the inspiration behind it. It is hard to ignore the evidence presented to us about climate change, and the liberties being taken with reproductive rights across the globe in the here and now, so take heed.

I think this is Smith's best novel yet. It showcases how much her writing has matured over the course of her three extraordinarily prescient novels, and the confidence she has gained in conveying her passion for her subjects of choice. I cannot wait to see where she takes her readers next!

One is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support the very best in indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

About the author:

Eve Smith writes speculative fiction, mainly about the things that scare her. She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and black-and-white Edgar Allen Poe double bills. In this world of questionable facts, stats and news, she believes storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life issues.

Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as "an exciting new voice in crime fiction", Eve’s debut novel The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was selected as a Book of the Month by Eric Brown in The Guardian who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s.

Eve’s previous job as COO of an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. When she’s not writing she’s racing across fields after her dog, trying to organise herself and her family, or off exploring somewhere new.