Review | Blue Ticket by Sophie MacKintosh

Blue Ticket by Sophie MacKintosh imagines a world in which your parental destiny is decided by the luck of the draw, I suppose in the real world whether we are able to have children is predetermined by genetics, health and personal fertility but imagine if it was decided literally by a draw. White ticket means your future includes children. Blue ticket means it does not. No questions, no re-draws just blind acceptance of your fate depending on the ticket drawn. What ticket would you wish to be?

The reviews I'd read of this book promised dystopian fiction in droves. A futuristic world in which a women's fate is determined by decisions made outside her control. It sounds positively Gilead-esque. I was expecting this novel to pack the same punch as The Handmaid's Tale but for me it fell short, not because it isn't a well written book but because it focused more on pregnancy, the changes a woman experiences and the hierarchical judgments placed on women, whether they pro-create or not. It felt more like a social commentary than a dystopian fiction. 

The concept of a woman's uterus being governed by the state is not a new concept and is unfortunately not something I'd class as a strictly fictional concept. It happens all over the world. One thing this book gets right is it's portrayal of women. White ticket women hold the power and the glory. Blue ticket women are beneath them and can be used and abused as such. In all walks of modern life there are people being trodden on and this book reflects our current societal situation. It's a tough read purely because it is so close to the bone.

I found this book to be very upsetting on a personal level. Having experienced miscarriages I could relate to the women that so desperately longed for a baby. This novel is dense with themes surrounding miscarriage, baby loss, infertility and maternal death. It is again very reflective of the modern world. The only dystopian element being the fictional authorities hunting down the illegally pregnant women but they may simply be metaphors for the people 'hunting' women down in the current world. The novel gives off a strong sense of 'a woman is never safe' and I think that sums up the current state of affairs. 

One thing this book lacks is the background information on why the world has been split so harshly. It's not really clear why the world needs women to be either white ticket or blue ticket and I feel like this is why this book doesn't satisfy my dystopian needs. It feels like a huge part of the story has been ignored and instead the author has focused on feminine rights issues, which isn't a bad thing as this book packs a punch in that respect but I can't help but feel like it's hiding in the dystopian fiction section whilst really being a bit of a self indulgent rant about women's choices and the treatment of women in general.

 It's a heavy book that deals with very emotionally charged concepts. I would suggest you consider carefully whether this book is for you. I found myself in tears several times because of the wounds left by my miscarriages. I'd advise making sure you are in a strong mental position before reading this book or at least be aware that it can be very triggering. 

I found the writing style to be ethereal and dream like. The characters though individuals kind of melded together into those that have and those that have not. I won't say too much about individual characters as I feel it will reveal too much of the plot but I will say that it will be a book to divide readers. Who you will relate to will depend upon your personal journey with fertility and your personal views on having children. 

Essentially it's a book about choice and how you would cope if the choice was made for you. Some of my friends would hate to be forced to have children and some, like myself would be devastated at the thought of life without them. 

What colour ticket would you wish to have?

 Thanks For Reading 

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