It is a privilege to welcome Rachel McLean back to my blog today as I review her latest thought-provoking book, Unborn. Many thanks to Rachel, and to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources, for inviting me to be a part of this tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.
BLURB:
She killed her unborn child. The punishment will fit the crime.
America, 2026.
Feminism has been defeated.
Equality is a memory.
And abortion has been criminalized.
Three women find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Kate, carrying the child of a sexual predator.
Grace, whose baby will be born with a fatal deformity.
And Cindee: abused, abandoned and pregnant.
Can these three very different women come together to fight an oppressive system and win their freedom?
PURCHASE LINKS:
REVIEW:
Having read many of Rachel’s books before (I think I was up to seven at last count), I really should know better by now than to start reading her newest book at 11:30 at night. I really am my own worst enemy. It was 2:00 in the morning before I put my light out, having devoured the entire book in one sitting.
From reading the synopsis, I knew this would be a challenging book to read, being just that little bit too close to reality to be comfortable. It is an even more challenging book to review without getting on my soapbox about a woman’s right to choose.
Each of the women we meet in Unborn has a different, but equally heartbreaking, reason for wanting to terminate their pregnancy, and as we get to know each of them, their suffering caused by the introduction of new laws becomes almost tangible. Their treatment at the prison they found themselves in, and the terms of their “punishment” really made my skin crawl at times. The fact that these new laws and the rights of women are so vastly different to what we live with today, and yet the book is set just six years into the future just added to the whole feeling of unease that this book gave me.
I realise reading back over this review that it might appear that I didn’t enjoy this book, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, if you can use the word enjoy to describe a book that makes you itch with discomfort. Rachel’s books never shy away from the important issues, regardless of how uncomfortable they are to write about. They force you to face the issues that you would probably rather brush under the carpet and forget about, and in this Unborn is no different to her previous books.
If you haven’t already discovered Rachel’s books, I urge you to go out and buy them all now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My name’s Rachel McLean and I write thrillers that make you think.
What does that mean?
In short, I want my stories to make your pulse race and your brain tick.
Do you often get through a thriller at breakneck pace but are left with little sense of what the book was really about? Do you sometimes read literary fiction but just wish something would damn well happen?
My books aim to fill that gap.
If you’d like to know more about my books and receive extra bonus content, please join my book club at rachelmclean.com/bookclub. I’ll send you a weekly email with news about my writing research and progress, stories and bonus content for each book. And I’ll let you know when my books are on offer.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Remember to check out all the other blogs taking part in the tour.
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