No Child Of Mine by Olga Gibbs
"No Child of Mine" is a story of a father's journey to save his child from a totalitarian regime, who is in order to bury the truth prepared to exterminate an entire generation.
57th Year of the true leadership of The Ordained Liberating Party; or Year 2273 by the old calendar.
"The Collapse" took millions of lives and most of the country's farming lands, bringing the surviving population of the island to the brink of starvation.
Out of the aftermath of the chaos and anarchy, a new state had emerged, known as The Federation Britannia, run by the single and unopposed Ordained Liberating Party.
The division of the country's orphanages for children of "the true citizens" and children of "the enemies of the state" began the clearance of the questionable element, and bloody years of the Age of Cleansing had finished the purge, leaving behind a perfectly obedient electorate that marched every year in the Liberation Day parades, praising the Party's leadership and following the Party's every directive.
The rule of the Party is absolute. Its tool of compliance, the State Security Unit, is feared.
Tom isn't a frightened follower, he is a true believer. He loves the Party with all his heart. He trusts in the Party's wisdom. The Party had raised him, rewarding his devotion and love with a lucrative engineering job, and after the approval for the Procreation licence, it also granted him a family.
But the unexpected midnight visit by the State Security to his flat, questions asked and blood samples collected, unsettles Tom more than he likes to admit, and the following day, whilst investigating the "black uniforms" interest, Tom witnesses the State Security troops, led by the familiar officer, marshalling the children from his daughter's nursery, packing them into trucks and taking them into the unknown.
At that moment Tom is forced to make a decision: either to follow the Party directive and to surrender his child into its plenary care or to protect what he loves and run.
But there's nowhere to run. There's no escape from the island or from the complete control of the Ordained Liberating Party.
About the author
Olga Gibbs is a mental health expert who has experience of working with disturbance in adolescents and young people. Using her Masters in CreativeWriting, she explores taboo topics such as borderline personality and social effective disorder, effects of abuse and insecure attachment in young people and the inner world which is so rarely spoken about. She was born and raised in USSR and now lives in UK. Olga Gibbs is also a creative writing coach and mentor. Please visit author website www.OlgaGibbs.com for more information on upcoming books.
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Purchase Links
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Child-Mine-dystopian-political-conspiracy-ebook/dp/B0916B81C1
Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-dystopian-political-conspiracy-ebook/dp/B0916B81C1/
Review
‘No Child Of Mine’ is a blistering, unflinching look at a future dystopian world that is battling an unknown disease. Even though it is set in a future world it reads to me as an historical novel as there are so many nods and references to the USSR. As I studied Soviet Russia at uni I can tell you they hit right on the mark and due to Olga’s background this story comes across as so authentic. I wouldn’t have cared if this book was double the size as I would have wanted to carry on reading it, I was seriously impressed with the writing and the quality of the narrative.
Set after ‘the collapse where half of England fell into the seas after a series of earthquakes, you enter a world with secret police, designated marches for independence day, political coercion and propaganda to the masses. Judy and Tom are married and have been allowed to have a child called Tilly. We find them on an anniversary of Independence Day where all residents of New Bristol are expected to match. Judy has been allocated to look after the children of the nurseries but when her and Tilly reach them she finds them upset and needs to try and calm them down. Their hands are covered in blisters but doesn't mention this as they need to calm the children down as it is seriously frowned upon. After, the march Judy forgets about the blisters until the secret police raid the flat during the middle of the night, taking blood tests and asking questions she doesn't want to answer. This sets off a fast-paced, dynamic and highly entertaining thriller. I really enjoyed seeing the change in Tom’s perspective throughout the journey. The nods to glasnost and perestroika were a nice touch I thought.
This is one not to be missed! Let me know if you read it.
