The Children of Men by PD James - review

 After reading this novel, which is a bit of different for PD James, I wanted to read something light. This is dystopian fiction that is quite heavy and, like all dystopian fiction, tries to imagine the worst world possible while trying to hold up a mirror for us to use to recognize our own failings. This novel was published in 1992 and is very much focused on the sub fertility replacement issues that were going on in the United Kingdom at the time (it makes it very disconcerting to see that some of the dates in the novel were 2021!). At the time, the UK had had a sub fertility replacement rate for almost twenty years, which means the population was aging and young people weren't being born to take their place. 

The novel is set in 2021. We learn pretty early on that the last child was born in 1995 (and had died). It isn't just limited to the UK though - this seems to have happened on a global level and there is a global search for a cure. No progress has been made and no children have been conceived. The main narrator is Theo, a history professor. 

James' theory, as told by Theo, is that as humans lose hope in their future, they become more accepting of authoritarian rule. The British have yielded their rights to the Warden, who has promised to keep them comfortable. Part of this means banning the mentally ill and all criminals, even the petty ones, to the Isle of Man, a penal colony where anything goes. The general population doesn't mind this - the island and its concept is pretty popular (which is disturbing). Migrant labor is exploited to maintain the government's freedom from want. The UK seemed to exploit labor from other countries since it seems that the country itself still has a pretty decent economy. The migrants perform petty labor but have no protections or no rights - at least not on par with the citizens they serve. They are expelled to their home countries at 60 when they're deemed too old to be productive. 

 The population seemed to be depressed to the point that they had nothing left to live for. They took no pleasure in anything. At a certain point, they got so hopeless they engaged in Quietus, which was actually a nice name for mass suicide.  PD James seemed to be making the argument that having future generations gives motive to live because the current generations are focused on providing a legacy for the offspring. The writing style was sometimes very thick to get through but I enjoyed it and I enjoyed how James sometimes went back and forth between Theo's journal entries and third party narration.  

A worthwhile read for the messages that it sends but very heavy.